MLB: Does The World Series Run Through New York?
Looking at the MLB rankings, both New York teams are running the show. The New York Mets are atop the NL and the Yankees atop the AL. There are still plenty of games left, can either team hold off and walk away as World Series champions?
First, the New York Mets:
It’s hard to stay excited as a Mets fan when you’ve been in this position before. They start off the season hot, then it’s like a free fall. It’s hard to see the team get so close and after the All-Star break, they become so horribly bad. Hopefully, in 2022 it will be different. They’re in the top 10 in terms of runs, hits, and RBIs. While they’re near the middle or close to the back half of the league in home runs, it’s not a dealbreaker. Small-ball can still win games as a walk-off single is just as good as a walk-off home run, just one is more flashy.
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Pitching isn’t their strong suit either as they’re in the middle of the pack in ERA as well. However, a struggling defense is always overcome by a powerful offense. Luckily for the Mets, help is on the way but when it comes to the postseason, the Mets will need to step it up in a few major areas from mid-season form. Teams making their playoff push need to be kept at bay. They’ll need to be at the plate longer and wear teams down to outlast them. Teams with hot bats who can hit the longball will give them fits in the MLB postseason.
Then the New York Yankees:
Right now the New York Yankees are one of the hottest teams in the MLB. They’re hitting deep balls, scoring runs, and are exciting to watch. That alone should be concerning to the rest of the league. The Yankees are notorious for being a second-half team. They’re usually ones to pick it up after the All-Star break, but for the Bronx Bombers, they’ll have a much harder route. They looked shaky against the Houston Astros who they’ll have to go up against. Then of course there is their division rival Boston Redsox who always make things hell on them.
Right now they have a comfortable lead over the rest of the AL, but things can change at a moment’s notice. If they can keep that lead on the rest of the league, then as the end of the season gets closer they can start to give players more rest days. If teams can pull closer, they’ll have to keep the hammer down to keep their hold on the division. If that does end up being the case, what kind of role will it take on player fatigue down the stretch?
Both New York teams are looking great this 2022 MLB season, will they be able to hold on to their leads or will the back half of the season surprise them?
Rick ODonnell aka Caveman Rick has many years covering the Miami Dolphins, Sports, and all sorts of movies and television.