It’s a good yr to be a New York baseball workforce. As a barely truncated April got here to an in depth on Saturday, the Yankees had the very best file within the American League at 15-6 and the Mets have been tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for the very best file within the Nationwide League at 15-7.
Whereas not with out precedent, the sight of each New York groups on prime of their respective leagues on the finish of April has been uncommon within the 61 seasons that the Mets and Yankees have coexisted. The final time it occurred was 1986 — a yr that turned out fairly effectively for the Mets. The one different time it occurred was 1976, when the Yankees closed April with a 10-3 file (and went on to lose the World Collection) whereas the Mets have been pacing the N.L. at 13-7 (then did not make the playoffs).
In fact, main your league in April isn’t every thing. In 2000, the Yankees have been 15-8 on the finish of April, a sport behind Cleveland, and the Mets have been 16-10, three video games behind Atlanta. The New York groups ended up dealing with one another that October within the Subway Collection, with the Yankees capturing the workforce’s third consecutive championship.
As for this yr, the restocked Mets have had phenomenal pitching — Friday’s no-hitter was a workforce effort within the truest sense — whereas the Yankees have additionally pitched effectively as their batters have pounded their approach to victory. However the Bombers closed April with an odd one, beating the Kansas Metropolis Royals, 3-0, on Saturday in a sport by which the runs have been scored on a double-play grounder and two sacrifice flies.
“If you wish to be a whole workforce and a extremely good one, you must discover methods at occasions to win in numerous methods,” Yankees Supervisor Aaron Boone informed reporters after the quirky victory.
General, the Yankees have had the A.L.’s greatest file coming into Might 1 seven occasions since 1962, in response to Baseball Reference, whereas the Mets have paced the N.L. 4 occasions. Earlier than that, the Yankees had the highest April file within the A.L. 18 occasions from 1903 to 1961. In seven of these 18 seasons, the highest April workforce within the N.L. was both the Brooklyn Dodgers or the New York Giants.
Now the trick for each New York groups is to increase their scorching begins, which each did on Sunday. The Yankees began Might by beating the Kansas Metropolis Royals, 6-4, extending their successful streak to 9 video games. And the Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 10-6, successful their seventh straight collection to start out this season.
