With their dominating 12-3 win in the Bronx on Wednesday night, the New York Mets clinched their first Subway Series sweep of the New York Yankees since 2013.
The Mets took their two home games against the Yankees on June 25 and 26, and then on Tuesday they eked out a 3-2 win at Yankee Stadium. Wednesday’s sweep-ensuring win means the Mets have outscored the Yankees 36-14 in those four games this season. That’s notable because the Mets haven’t enjoyed a great deal of head-to-head success against their crosstown rivals. As James Smyth recently noted, the Mets have now won just five of 28 interleague Subway Series. The Yankees have won 10, and on 13 occasions the two teams split the four games.
In Wednesday’s romp, the Mets mashed five home runs, three of which came at the expense of Yankees ace Gerrit Cole. Shortstop Francisco Lindor had two of them to give him 21 for the season. In doing so, Lindor, who’s played at an MVP level since the middle of May, joined elite historical company:
On the Yankees’ side of things, Juan Soto went 2 for 3 with a homer, a double, and a walk. As for Cole, he now has an ERA of 5.40 for the season. The struggles of the reigning American League Cy Young winner are very likely related to a spring elbow injury that pushed back his season debut until June 19.
The win for the Mets was a significant one in other ways. At 53-48 they’re now five games over .500 for the first time this season. That’s a remarkable turnaround for a club that, as recently as June 2, was 11 games under .500 and looking like a deadline seller. Since that low point, they’re 29-13. Now they’re in second wild-card position in the National League and just 1 ½ games behind the second-place Braves in the NL East.
As for the Yankees, they’re a meager 6-12 in July, but they remain in playoff position and within close range of the AL East-leading Orioles.
