The New York Yankees punched their ticket to the ALCS after beating the Kansas City Royals 3-1 on Thursday. The Yankees are now one step closer to the World Series, where they could have the opportunity to face off against their crosstown rivals, the New York Mets, who clinched a spot in the NLCS on Wednesday.
Yankees superstar Aaron Judge spoke about the potential Subway Series World Series matchup following the Game 4 win on Thursday to Tyler Kepner of The Athletic.
“It’s going to be definitely a fun time in New York, man,” Judge said. “They’re having a great season, and it’s going to be fun to look forward to, down the road, getting a chance to face them again.”
A Yankees-Mets subway series would be a dream come true for New York sports fans. This is just the third time in Major League Baseball history that the two New York baseball teams have been in the Championship Series at the same time, the other instances occurring in 1999 and 2000. They have only met in the World Series once–in 2000 when the Yankees beat the Mets in five games.
In two series against each other in the regular season this year, the Mets had the clear advantage. The Mets went 4-0 against the Yankees, sweeping them in each two-game series and outscoring them 36-14.
What needs to happen for the New York Yankees and New York Mets to face each other in the World Series
The Yankees and Mets are both waiting to see who their Championship Series opponents will be. For the Mets, they know that they are going to have to travel to California for Games 1 and 2, it just depends on Friday's NLDS Game 5 to see whether or not they will go to Los Angeles to face the Dodgers or to San Diego to face the Padres. For the Yankees, they will host the winner of Saturday's ALDS Game 5 between the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Guardians.
At first glance, it appears that the Yankees have a slightly easier path to the World Series than the Mets. They will have home field advantage, and the Guardians and Tigers both appear more beatable than both the Padres or Dodgers.
However, it is undeniable that the Mets have a “team of destiny” vibe to them right now. From Grimace, to OMG, to the new “Playoff Pumpkin,” and most importantly, the Mets' ability to always get the timely late-inning hit, there is something special happening in Queens.
Aaron Judge is absolutely right. Whether you are a Yankees fan or a Mets fan, these next few weeks in New York City will be “a fun time.”