You bet your ass they do. This game? This series? It’s about a lot more than the meeting of two first places teams with eyes towards the World Series. This is the Yankees and the Mets and a three-game series in the Bronx that promises to be sizzling all weekend.
Say what you will about Shohei Ohtani and his World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers, but they won’t play a single regular season series with the voltage of these three games in New York. Trust me. I live roughly half way between Dodger Stadium and Angels Stadium, and I don’t even notice when the Dodgers and Angels hook up. Dodgers vs. Giants only really matters in San Francisco, and while the Dodgers-Padres rivalry is blossoming, it’ll be another decade or so before people pay attention outside of the 619 area code.
But these three games in Gotham? They’re gonna be different.
Oh, and look at me burying the lede. There’s this guy named Juan Soto who plays for the Mets. If there’s one thing we can count on tonight, it’s that he’ll be booed mercilessly. The Bleacher Creatures had best hurry their way through the Roll Call in the top of the first, because once Soto climbs into the batter’s box, every pair of eyes in the Stadium will be trained on #22, and every set of lungs will be erupting in anger.
The Yankee haters around the country will shake their heads at entitled Yankee fans who expect every great player to want to play in pinstripes, but that’s not the problem. I could never begrudge a player’s decision to sign with the highest bidder (and unlike so many fans I don’t blame Hal Steinbrenner for drawing a financial line just a few million dollars south of the moon), but I still haven’t forgiven Soto for the manner in which he left.
The last time we saw him on our side of the field, the Dodgers were only midway through their first case of champagne and Soto was announcing that he was a free agent available to any of the thirty teams in baseball. He dutifully read from Scott Boras’s script, ignorant of the salt he was pouring into millions of open wounds. And so I’m sure he’ll be booed like few other opposing players ever have in Yankee Stadium. (Oh, and I think we can also bank “We’ve Got Grisham!” chants echoing through the park at some point, which would be nice.)
Will any of this bother Soto? Probably not. He seems to have pulled out of his early season funk, and the moment will be right, so I expect him to respond with a big series and at least two or three home runs. The question will be whether or not Yankee pitchers can limit the rest of the potent Mets lineup, and whether or not the other New York team can manage a Yankee offense that’s looking more and more like the best in baseball.
And just so I don’t finish this piece without mentioning it, Aaron Judge is pretty, pretty, pretty good.
All of this together makes for the most anticipated regular season series since the hey day of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry in the early aughts. And I can’t wait.
Let’s go, Yank-ees!
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Lasagna is back. Cabrera also has ligament damage. Return doubtful.
Oh good, Cone’s in the booth
FUCK SOTO!!!
BOOOOOOOOO!!!! that shit is LOUD!!!
oh, FUCK OFF, taking off your helmet. asshole.
and fuck lindor for giving a safe sign as he crossed the bag. probably cost him. dick.
FUCK! i was hoping to pick him off. damnit, rodon!
i can't stand polar bear pete. i hate the violent half-swing set up he always does.
Oswaldo with the leather
nice play, peraza! probably saved a run.
what was that chant? i hope it was: FUCK YOU, SOTO!!
what an entitled prick! waits waaay too long to go out to right field, then smiles, point, doffs his cap. FUCK YOU!!!
our guy can walk too. go grish!
he was too much of a wuss to even talk to the media before the game.
(word press is too much of a 'wuss' to post the word i used. i could have been talking about a toad!)
i normally don't root for the team in my city, but i'm a HUGE Braves fan tonight! They're up 2-zip on the shit sox
i really hate watching alonso play baseball. he's sooo awkward.
The audio is ahead of the video by about 5 seconds.
good hustle, belli!
haha, pete!
from shallow right field, soto bounced the ball to the plate on THREE bounces! now, 3-0!!!
over 20 pitches per inning thus far for megill
walk home, baby! batted around, knocked out their starter in the 3rd. he threw like 40 pitches that inning and wasn't getting squeezed or anything!
Crud
Come on Carlos, get it together
2025 Judge is a combination of Stanton and Jeter but better. It’s crazy.
A “Fuck Juan Soto” chant for a bit there. I approve this message.
Oh good, walking the terrorists worked, two more runs
Good start to this subway serious.
Two base hits for Judge and more runs scored, always a good thing.
Unreal to be sitting at .414 more than halfway through May.
And uh don’t look now but the Knicks are up 30 at the Garden. A who’s who of 90s era celebs, and new ones, in the primo floor seats. Fun.
of course it comes down to soto with 2 outs in the 9th.
strike his bitch ass out, ferocious jungle cat!
popped him up! suck it, fuckface!
Nice win.
2-4 for Judge.
Finally get in and the wheels come off.
Hah, out
Ouch, Escarra.
0for 5 isn’t good Aaron
Tight strike zone tonight
That’s better Aaron.
And now aRISP double?
Damage limited
Screw that little squirrel fucker. I can’t stand him
Why is a visiting player getting the mic? That’s ridiculous! Stoopid 4-letter network.
Yeah, Max!
This umpire is ridiculous.
Yeah, the calls are beyond brutal
FUCK!!!
Walking the terrorists backfired.
We’re getting fucked by game changing calls the last two games. FUCK!
Also, sit down, Peter!
When the pitcher can’t throw strikes, maybe don’t swing.
That was beyond brutal from Volpe. Inexcusable
Thanks, Petey.
Great at-bat by Vivas and a throw befitting of a polar bear!
Goody the Oldy!!!
Remember when there was talk that the Yankees should sign Alonso? It was never a good idea, but Goldschmidt has been so much better than I thought he’d be. Such a bonus.
Crap
FUCK YEAH!!!
Bella goes BOOM!!!
That’s better
Rice is cooking
2 for 4 for Judge and a win. Wil is looking good.
I'm already writing tonight's game off as a loss.
I hate texas.
Don’t make the first or last out of the inning at third base. Sheesh.
Judge tied it up anyway.
THE MARTIAN!
Boom, Jasson!
Well I’ll be. A win.huh.
Off for the weekend. See ya’ll on Wednesday
Sweep!