New York’s two franchises had remarkably different 2009 seasons. The Yankees, with their shiny new free agent additions in Mark Teixeira, C.C. Sabathia, and A.J. Burnett, ran away with the American League East and came away with their 27th World Series championship, beating the Phillies in six games.
For Mets fans, the 2009 season was a nightmare, as Mets players, including eight former All-Stars, spent more than 1,480 days on the disabled list as the team limped to a 72-90 record. To literally add insult to injury, they watched as their hated rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies, completed the best three-year stretch in their franchise’s 127-year history by reaching the World Series for the second straight season.
Mets fans, at least the ones who were still willing to watch, had to choose between which rival team they wanted to win—or lose—the World Series. The division rival who had given you fits the past three seasons, or the cross-town rival whose fans would never let you hear the end of it.
In the end, it was the Yankees who came away with the title, ending their nine-year “drought” of October failure.
So now in 2010, the World Champion Yankees come to Queens for their second visit ever to the beautiful Citi Field for a three-game series with the Mets.
The Yankees are pretty banged up at the moment, especially in their outfield. Starting center fielder Curtis Granderson is on the disabled list with a groin injury, and Nick Swisher and Marcus Thames are day-to-day and may not play during the three-game series.
Jorge Posada was also recently placed on the disabled list with a fractured foot, joining designated hitter Nick Johnson and reliever Alfredo Aceves.
The Mets went into the season without Carlos Beltran and Daniel Murphy, but have gotten surprising contributions from their replacements, Angel Pagan and Ike Davis, respectively. The Mets’ problems however, run far deeper than that.
The Yankees head across town after being swept in the Bronx by the best team in the majors, the former AL East whipping-boys-turned-juggernauts from Tampa Bay. The Mets have lost 60 percent of their starting rotation in the past five days, and have lost nine of their past 12 games, although they are coming off of a 10-7 win in Washington.
As unfair as it may be for Mets fans, let’s break down the two teams to gauge what to expect from this National League version of the 2010 Subway Series…