Subway Series

Lore & Background

The term historically refers to World Series games played between the city's teams. The Yankees have appeared in all Subway Series games as they have been the only American League team based in the city. The National League representative in those series has seven times been the Dodgers, six times the Giants, and the Mets once, in 2000. Since 1997, the term has also been applied to interleague play during the regular season between the Yankees and Mets. The first recorded New York–Brooklyn 'World Championship Series' occurred in 1889, before the subway opened. The 1921 and 1922 match-ups were played at the Polo Grounds, with the Giants winning both. The Yankees won their first Subway World Series in 1923. The Yankees–Dodgers matchups between 1941 and 1956 cemented the term, with Brooklyn winning only one World Series (1955). The 2000 World Series was the only Subway Series involving the Mets; the Yankees won four games to one.

Reader's Guide

In modern usage, the term 'Subway Series' generally refers to a series played between the two current New York baseball teams, the New York Yankees and the New York Mets. Their stadiums remain directly accessible by subway: Yankee Stadium via the 161st Street–Yankee Stadium station, and Citi Field via the Mets–Willets Point station. The Mets and Yankees first met in a regular season game on June 16, 1997, with the introduction of interleague play. The Yankees lead the all-time regular season series 84–65 as of June 26, 2024.

Did You Know?

• The term 'Subway Series' appeared in newspapers by 1928, and 'Nickel Series' by 1927.
• The 1944 Tri-Cornered Baseball Game was a round-robin format where each team played the other two, not a single exhibition game with a unique format.
• The Mayor's Trophy Game was an annual exhibition between the Yankees and the city's National League teams, discontinued after 1979; it was revived for two years in the 1980s (1983 and 1984), not 1985.