Something is stirring in New York baseball. For decades, the Yankees, with a record 27 World Series pennants to their name, have lorded it over their little brother the Mets.
Not since their heydays in the 80s have the men from Citi Field been able to walk around Manhattan with their heads held high. When it comes to a popularity contest, the Bronx bombers barely have to break sweat.
Patience tends to wear thin to the point of snapping with perennial underdogs. The Mets came closest to parity with the Yankees after the 2006 season — the only season in the past 25 years when John McEnroe’s (pictured right) favourite team advanced further in the playoffs than the Yankees.
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Fast forward to today, however, and that sorry statistic is surely about to change. The Mets are flying while the Yankees are sinking, their bullpen limping along with bodies going down all the time. Key batter Mark Teixeira has just been ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee problem.
The catalyst for the orange and blue resurgence lies in the unlikely frame of recently acquired outfielder Yoenis Cespedes who has been nothing short of sensational since arriving from the Detroit Tigers in a deadline day trade.
The Cuban has altered the baseball landscape in the Big Apple to such an extent that calls are already being made to name the outfielder player of the year in the National League.
That, no matter how romantic of a story, is sadly unlikely to happen. Even if the 29-year-old plays every game until the end of the season, he would have only appeared 59 times for the Mets. After all, noone has ever won the award in the season they were traded. Furthermore, the fewest games played by an MVP were 117 by George Brett for the Kansas City Royals in 1980. His stats, however, are quite remarkable.
The Mets were 53-50 and two games out of first place when Cespedes arrived. Not taking into account this weekend’s series at the Atlanta Braves, they’re 25-11 since.
They were the lowest-scoring team in baseball with 365 runs coming in their first 103 games. In their past 36 games, the Mets have scored 221 runs and averaged 6.14.
It’s been a stunning turnaround with Cespedes smacking 14 home runs in 36 games. A healthy lead is being built at the top of the NL East, the light at the end of the tunnel leading to the playoffs is beginning to shine brighter than ever.
There is more than just gigantic hitting in his armoury however. The Cuban has an unusual, rapierlike underarm throw. Softball players pitch like that yet it’s an art rarely seen in the big leagues.
What it indicates, however, is real arm strength which viciously comes to the fore with a bat in hand. Many believed it was a skill handed down by his mother, Estela Milanes who was a star softball pitcher for Cuba, yet Cespedes insists it was something he honed while watching both his parents play.
While the front office anger and mixed messages over Matt Harvey’s health continues to make fans uncomfortable, the Mets have suddenly become the team to watch. The season isn’t over yet.
Much can change, but in professional sport, momentum is a priceless commodity which can alter campaigns and define perceptions. Given the beautifully rich and trophy-laden history of the Yankees, it’s no wonder their fan base towers over the Mets.
Yoenis Cespedes crushin’ it during BP #mets #battingpractice #crushed #slomo #SNY pic.twitter.com/Pog67PVNQX
— Tyler Jon Horvath (@TylerJonHorvath) August 31, 2015
A general rule of thumb decrees that the Yankees have northern New Jersey, the Bronx and Manhattan, while Mets fans are more Queens and Long Island.
Yet their success means the numbers will always be pinstripe dominant rather than the blue and orange of their cross city rivals. Either way, in one of the fiercest sporting marketplaces on earth, all should welcome a rivalry reawakened.
New York sport endured a year from hell in 2014. The Jets and Giants were desperate in the NFL, while the Knicks performed even worse in the NBA.
“The Mets fans are always the underdogs, the ones with the broken hearts,” said renowned film director and sports fan Michael Rapaport, who constantly casts his eye over the Big Apple sporting scene.
“The Yankees fans are like the cool kids with the fancy cars so it’s like the haves and the have nots. So when the Mets start doing well it really means a lot to them.”
A first trip to the post-season for nine years will undoubtedly mean the world.
