Keidel: Mets Poised To Convince The Non-Believers That They Do, Indeed, Own N.Y.
By Jason Keidel
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You may not always agree with Mike Francesa, but the baritone bard of New York City sports is spot-on about one thing: the Subway Series was planned by a blind man.
April is too early to kick-start the blood feud between our two local clubs, and September is too late to put a bow on it.
And another inconvenient truth is simmering below the surface. This weekend could be the official changing of the guard, the baseball torch being handed to the new Kings in Queens.
According to The New York Times, the Yankees have had a Secretariat-like lead on the Mets in many ways, including attendance and TV ratings. In 2013, Yankees viewership was double that of the Mets. Last year, it was nearly double. But now, with the Mets' scalding start, including their current 11-game winning streak, the valley between their TV audiences is evaporating.
As of Tuesday, Mets games on SNY were drawing an average of 253,339 viewers for each game, a 47 percent spike from this time last year. By contrast, the Yankees' viewership on YES has plunged by 21 percent, to 267,000.
According to The Times, the Yanks have routinely averaged over 400,000 viewers since they spawned YES, in 2002 -- exponentially more than the Mets, whose TV ratings peaked back in 2007, at around 314,000.
But over the last few years, coinciding with the Yankees' surprising but steady disappearance from the playoffs, the Bronx Bombers have been bombing at the box office and in the living room. In 2012, the Yankees' viewership on YES sank to 355,000 per game, and then tumbled to 244,000 in 2013. The number rose to 288,000 last year, but that bump was brought more by Derek Jeter's retirement tour than any palpable jump in performance.
So far this season, the most-watched game for either team was a Mets/Matt Harvey production. On April 14, an average of 429,161 watched Harvey and the Mets outlast the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-5, which was 25,000 more than the Yankees' viewing peak in 2015 (their home opener, at Yankee Stadium, on April 6).
Then there's the obvious perfunctory pitching edge the Mets bring to the table, season, and series. The gods could not have more widely smiled on the Subway Series for the Mets, who trot out Jacob DeGrom, Matt Harvey, and Jonathan Niese this weekend.
DeGrom is 2-1, wielding a wicked 0.93 ERA. Since surrendering a home run to Ryan Zimmerman in his first start on April 8, DeGrom has hurled 18 1/3 scoreless innings, the third-longest current streak in the majors, according to Elias.
Harvey is, well, Harvey. The hyperactive, ornery alpha male of the Mets doesn't need incentive to attack batters. But the prospect of putting the pinstripes in a hole will surely have the surly ace drooling on the mound this weekend.
The Mets are the best team in baseball right now. Say it again. It's true. Best. In. Baseball. And their 13-3 record backs the assertion. Not since the iconic 1986 squad that trampled over the sport have the Mets had such a scalding 16-game start to a season. And their current 11-game streak equals the best such stretch in franchise history.
By vivid contrast, the 9-7 Yankees are dragging an old, beleaguered ball club into the Bronx, with old arms and older bats.
Jacoby Ellsbury, the crown jewel of their latest free-agent binge, just picked up his first RBI. The other free agent luminary, Brian McCann, has one home run. Recent acquisitions Stephen Drew and Didi Gregorius are batting .178 and .200, respectively. Suffice it to say the Mets' conga line of pitching luminaries are hardly losing sleep over the Yankees' anemic lineup.
For their part, the Yankees will present Michael Pineda, CC Sabathia, and Nathan Eovaldi against the Mets. Over his last three starts, Pineda is 2-0, with a robust 5.00 ERA. Sabathia is 0-3, with a 4.35 ERA. And Eovaldi is 1-0 with a 3.12 ERA over 17 1/3 innings.
After stumbling to a 3-6 start, the Yankees have returned to respectability by winning six of their last seven. But they are hardly the most respected team in MLB, or even the AL. The most respected, heck, the most feared team in baseball is the a Mets, who have a sublime chance to grind their blue collar boots into the elitist neck of the Bombers, in the Bronx. If they play three more supreme games, the Mets will have a foothold on Gotham supremacy.
Start spreading the news.
Follow Jason on Twitter at @JasonKeidel