The 17th Subway Series is complete now, the Mets executing their first-ever sweep and the Yankees holding the all-time edge, 54-40.
Given what transpired this week, it feels like this could go down as a memorable, significant Subway Series, one to which we might point at the end of the season when discussing both teams. Of course, this is just speculation on my part. There’s no greater cliché than “Time will tell.”
But this made me wonder, what have been the most impactful Subway Series in the event’s history? Showdowns that wound up possessing retroactive meaning as turning points? Here are my five, designating for which team the series proved to hold resonance:
1. 1999, Mets. When the Yankees won the first two games, June 4 and June 5 in the Bronx, the Mets _ who faced sky-high expectations after adding Armando Benitez, Rickey Henderson and Robin Ventura and re-signing Mike Piazza _ fell to 27-28. It felt like they were on the verge of a full meltdown, and Mets general manager Steve Phillips responded by firing three of Bobby Valentine’s coaches _ pitching coach Bob Apodaca, bullpen coach Randy Niemann and hitting coach Tom Robson.
It was no secret why those three coaches were targeted; they were the three men with whom Valentine was the closest. It was a clear shot across the bow by Phillips, and on the afternoon of June 6 at the old Yankee Stadium, Phillips and Valentine sat side by side in the an old interview room and took questions from a room full of media. It was without question the most awkward news conference I’ve ever witnessed: Phillips and Valentine were clearly livid with each other, and Valentine, in classic Bobby V. form, was extremely animated _ raising his eyebrows, smiling, shrugging and nodding at various points _ in response to reporters’ questions and Phillips comments.
Then Valentine said that if the team didn’t improve over the next 55 games, he deserved to be fired. That night, Al Leiter threw seven strong innings in his Subway Series debut, and Mike Piazza hit his first homer against Roger Clemens, initiating a 40-15 run that the Mets rode all the way to a legendary (if ultimately disappointing) postseason.
2. 2009, Mets. With Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado and J.J. Putz already out for the year (not that they knew it at the time), the Mets carried a bit of a 2013 Yankees vibe into the Bronx on June 12. They also carried an 8-7 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning, and with men on first and second and two outs, Francisco Rodriguez got Alex Rodriguez to hit a sky-high pop-up. You know what happened next: Luis Castillo dropped it, and Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira scored to tie and win the game, instantaneously.
The Mets rebounded to win the next day, with Castillo picking up two hits. But they lost the rubber game for their second straight series loss, and they proceeded to lose their next two series before taking three of four against St. Louis. Then the Yankees came to Citi Field and swept the Mets, dropping them to .500. While they treaded water for a little longer, they eventually plummeted to a final record of 70-92, and Castillo’s screw-up came to characterize their lost season.
3. 2002, Yankees. On Saturday, June 29, Joe Torre put together a lineup with Enrique Wilson hitting second and playing rightfield. Wilson wound up playing in 555 major-league games. This was the only one in which he played the outfield.
It sure seemed that Torre, who could play backroom politics with the best of them, was sending a message to his front office and owner for everyone to see: I need an outfielder. The corner outfielders Shane Spencer, John Vander Wal and Rondell White were not getting it done. Wilson did his job by playing poorly in the outfield in an 11-2 Yankees loss to the Mets, and within 48 hours, George Steinbrenner had thrilled Toronto general manager J.P. Ricciardi by taking the enigmatic Raul Mondesi off of Toronto’s payroll _ over the objections
The Yankees went 53-27 the rest of the way, so it would be inaccurate to say the Mondesi acquisition hurt immediately. What it did, though, was help push the Yankees further away from the superb clubhouse culture that had existed. Nearly everyone regarded Mondesi as a selfish player, and The Boss’ personal involvement in baseball operations _ after years of keeping at least a little distance _ set off alarms, too. It just didn’t feel as good as it once had. Therefore, it wasn’t shocking that the Yankees dropped the American League Division Series to Anaheim, with Derek Jeter pointedly noting that this specific group _ without Tino Martinez and Paul O’Neill _ hadn’t accomplished anything.
4. 2003, Mets. This week marked the second time that one team swept the Subway Series. The first time occurred in ’03, as the Yankees swept all six games in Art Howe’s first year leading the Mets .The final loss dropped the Mets to 34-46 and reaffirmed that, after a terrific run under Valentine, the Mets were no longer a legitimate foe to the Yankees. They finished a woeful 66-95.
5. 2008, Mets. Before getting fired, Willie Randolph led the Mets to a pair of victories over the Yankees in the Bronx. The most meaningful Subway Series game of this year, however, occurred in the third Stadium game, played the afternoon of June 27 as the opener of a day-night, two-stadium doubleheader. Delgado, who had played so awful under Randolph that he drew accusations of purposely sabotaging his manager, went 3-for-5 with two homers, a double and nine RBI.
Delgado proceeded to put together a fantastic second half of the season, generating Most Valuable Player consideration and leading the Mets _ who evened their record at 39-39 with Delgado’s 9-RBI game _ back into the playoff race. The Mets exercised Delgado’s $12-million team option (against a $4-million buyout) for 2009, a move that backfired when Delgado wound up missing the bulk of the season with a hip injury that ultimately ended his career.
–Have a great day.
