Yankees vs Mets

Lore & Background

Until interleague play started, the two teams had only met in exhibition games. Since the inception of interleague play, the two teams have played each other in every regular season since 1997. From 1999 through 2012, they have played six games per season: two three-game series (one series in each team's ballpark). In 2013–2022, the two teams met six games a season; when the AL East and NL East faced each other and four games (two at each park) the other years. In 2023, all MLB teams started facing each other; they played four games each in 2023 and 2024 and played six games in 2025. Both clubs have qualified for the postseason in the same season on six occasions: 1999, 2000, 2006, 2015, 2022, and 2024; the two teams faced off in the 2000 World Series. Analysts of the game have commented that the rivalry is the best reason for interleague play. Before the creation of interleague play, the teams occasionally met in spring training exhibition games and played 19 times in the Mayor's Trophy Game, an in-season exhibition game, every year from 1963 through 1979, and then again in 1982 and 1983; the Yankees posted a record of 10–8–1 over the Mets in the Mayor's Trophy contests. The Mayor's Trophy games were played primarily to benefit sandlot baseball in the city, with proceeds going to the city's Amateur Baseball Federation. After dwindling interest and public bickering between the owners of both teams, the Mayor's Trophy Game was discontinued following the 1983 season. It was revived again as a pre-Opening Day series titled the 'Mayor's Challenge' and held in 1989.

In Their Own Story

The air in the dugout was thick with humidity and tension, a stark contrast to the cool, sterile silence of the broadcast booth. On the mound, the Yankees' pitcher wiped his brow, eyes locked on the batter's box where a Mets hitter stood, gripping his bat like a weapon. The crowd was a cacophony of pinstriped white and orange-and-blue, a sea of divided loyalties that somehow occupied the same physical space. In the stands, a father in a Yankees cap sat shoulder-to-shoulder with his son, who wore a Mets jersey; neither spoke, the silence louder than the roar of the crowd. The pitcher wound up, the ball leaving his hand in a blur, and for a split second, time suspended itself between the Bronx and Queens, waiting to see which New York would survive the night.

Reader's Guide

The Mets–Yankees rivalry has its origins in the histories of the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants, and Yankees, the three Major League Baseball teams of New York City from 1903 to 1957. In 1958, both of New York's National League teams moved to California. The Yankees were New York City's only Major League Baseball team until from 1958–1962, when the expansion Mets joined the National League. The Mets played their first two seasons in the Giants' old stadium, the Polo Grounds, before moving into Shea Stadium in the borough of Queens. In 1997, the Mets and Yankees played their first official game at Yankee Stadium, which the Mets won 6–0 behind Dave Mlicki. In 1999, both teams reached the playoffs for the first time in the same season. In 2000, the Mets and Yankees met in the World Series, with the Yankees winning in five games.

Did You Know?

• David Cone won 20 games in 1998 for the Yankees, 10 years after he accomplished the same feat for the Mets, becoming the only player to win 20 games for both teams.
• On July 8, 2000, the Yankees defeated the Mets by identical 4–2 scores in both ends of an unusual day-night doubleheader, with the first game played at Shea Stadium and the nightcap at Yankee Stadium—the first time since
• Game 1 of the 2000 World Series went to extra innings in what was then the longest World Series game of all time, with the Yankees winning on a walk-off hit by former Met José Vizcaíno.

Historical Roots and the Mayor's Trophy

The origins of this rivalry trace back to New York City's baseball history before the Mets existed. From 1903 to 1957, the city hosted three teams: the Yankees in the Bronx, while the Giants and Dodgers competed for National League dominance in Manhattan and Brooklyn respectively. The departure of both NL teams to California in 1958 left the Yankees as the sole major league franchise until the expansion Mets arrived in 1962. Seeking to inherit the legacy of the departed clubs, the new team adopted colors reflecting the Giants' orange and Dodgers' blue, initially playing at the Polo Grounds before moving to Shea Stadium. Before official interleague play began, these teams met exclusively in exhibition contests known as the Mayor's Trophy Game. Held annually from 1963 through 1979 with sporadic returns later, these matches benefited local sandlot baseball programs. The Yankees held a slight edge in this era, posting a 10–8–1 record against their crosstown neighbors before the series was discontinued due to waning interest and owner disputes.

The Dawn of Official Interleague Play

A transformative shift occurred in 1997 when Major League Baseball officially sanctioned regular-season games between the American and National Leagues. The inaugural Subway Series matchup took place on June 16 at Yankee Stadium, where the Mets secured a surprising 6–0 victory led by pitcher Dave Mlicki, though the Yankees reclaimed momentum to win the series. This era marked the beginning of consistent annual competition, evolving from occasional exhibitions to a structured fixture of the schedule. By 1998, the rivalry intensified as the Yankees clinched their first of three consecutive World Series titles while the Mets narrowly missed the playoffs after acquiring star catcher Mike Piazza. A unique milestone was achieved by David Cone, who became the only player in history to record twenty wins for both franchises, having accomplished the feat with the Mets a decade prior before repeating it with the Bronx Bombers.

The 2000 World Series and Historic Doubleheader

The rivalry reached its zenith during the 2000 season when both teams not only qualified for the postseason but eventually faced one another in the World Series. The regular season featured a historic anomaly on July 8, where the clubs played an unusual day-night doubleheader with games split between Shea Stadium and Yankee Stadium. This event marked the first time since 1903 that two teams competed in different stadiums within the same day. Dwight Gooden pitched six innings for the Yankees in his return to New York, while Roger Clemens secured the nightcap victory; both contests ended with identical 4–2 scores. Ultimately, this intense regular-season battle set the stage for a championship showdown where the Yankees defeated the Mets, capping off a year defined by unprecedented interleague drama and high stakes.

Modern Scheduling and Playoff Coincidences

Since the inception of interleague play in 1997, the frequency of meetings between these two franchises has fluctuated based on league scheduling rules. Analysts frequently cite this intense crosstown competition as the primary justification for the existence of interleague play in Major League Baseball.