The Subway Series is back—and this year, it’s electric. The timing couldn’t be better, as both New York powerhouses are rolling. The Yankees sit atop the AL East at 25-18, while the Mets lead the NL East at 28-16. Both clubs have won six of their last ten, and both are playing with the swagger and confidence of October-bound contenders.
This isn’t just a crosstown rivalry—it’s a collision between two of the best teams in baseball, each with something to prove and everything to gain. The city’s divided, the stakes are high, and for the first time in years, the Subway Series feels like more than hype. It feels like a preview of something much bigger.
Yankees Preview with Jonna Perlinger
A Look at the Bump: Rodón’s Heat, Schmidt’s Command, and Fried’s Cy Young Run
Game 1: Carlos Rodón (4-3, 3.29 ERA)
Rodón makes his 10th start of the season and enters ranked fourth in MLB with 67 strikeouts over 54 2/3 innings. The lefty has returned to form, with his fastball-slider combo looking increasingly dominant. The Yankees hope his swing-and-miss arsenal sets the tone Friday.
Game 2: Clarke Schmidt (1-1, 4.03 ERA)
Schmidt makes his sixth start after beginning the year on the IL. Aside from one rough outing, he’s been steady, allowing just six earned runs over his last three starts. He’s gone six innings in back-to-back outings, showing improved command and settling in as a reliable mid-rotation arm.
Game 3: Max Fried (6-0, 1.11 ERA)
The series wraps with staff ace—and early AL Cy Young favorite—Max Fried. In his debut season in pinstripes, he’s been dominant, leading MLB with a 1.11 ERA and a perfect 6-0 record. The Yankees are 8-1 in his starts, and even in that lone loss, he allowed just one earned run over five innings. Fried’s precision, poise, and elite movement have overwhelmed hitters and firmly placed him in the Cy Young race alongside Detroit’s Tarik Skubal.
Best Closer in Baseball and His Underrated Pen
They don’t call it the Zoo for nothing. The Bronx is home to the “Ferocious Jungle Cat.” Luke Weaver has the lowest WHIP among relievers in baseball (.60), with a 0.45 ERA, and has only allowed one earned run since last year’s Game 3 of the ALCS in Cleveland on October 17th. This year, he has only given up six hits against 72 batters faced. Weaver’s opponents’ batting average in 2025 is .092, while his opponents’ on-base percentage is .167.
Another key piece of the Yankees’ bullpen has been Fernando Cruz who bolsters the most strikeouts among relievers in the league and a 2.42 ERA. Cruz’ opponents’ batting average is a .179, while his opponents’ on-base percentage is .256.
All in all the Yankees’ bullpen has been extremely sharp sans a few blown saves from Devin Williams, who in his last few games appears to be settling into his new role as a set-up piece. Without Williams and Carlos Carrasco—who only pitched five innings of relief and is no longer on the Yankees’ 26-man roster—accounted for in the collective ERA, the Yankees’ bullpen bolsters a 2.45 ERA. Even with Williams, the Yankees’ have the fourth-best ERA in the league at a 2.94, ever slightly lower than the Mets’ 2.98 ERA.
Balanced, Deep, and Dangerous: The Yankees’ Most Fearsome Lineup Since 2009
The Bronx Bombers moniker has never felt more accurate. The Yankees enter the weekend leading the Majors in nearly every major offensive category—home runs, OPS, slugging, RBI, and on-base percentage—while owning the league’s third-best batting average behind only the Padres and Dodgers. From top to bottom, this lineup doesn’t just hit — it punishes.
At the center of it all is Aaron Judge, who is putting together a season for the ages. The Yankees captain is barreling toward what could be his third MVP and the first American League Triple Crown since 2011. Judge leads the Majors with a staggering .412 average and a 1.280 OPS, alongside a league-best 4.0 WAR—while no other player has even cracked 3.0. If the season ended today, Judge would post the best single-season batting average since Rogers Hornsby hit .424 in 1924, with only three players in MLB history—Nap Lajoie (.426), Ty Cobb, and George Sisler (both .420)—ever finishing higher. For perspective: Babe Ruth’s best average in a season was .393.
While Judge is rewriting the record books, Paul Goldschmidt has been a vital addition at the top of the order, bringing a steadying presence the Yankees have lacked in recent years. Slashing .346/.395/.506, Goldschmidt ranked in the top five in OBP as recently as last week and continues to be an engine for the offense.
Perhaps the biggest surprise, though, has been Trent Grisham. Initially seen as a throw-in in the Juan Soto trade, Grisham has earned an everyday role with his Gold Glove defense and unexpected pop at the plate. His 12 home runs trail only Judge on the team, and his impact hasn’t gone unnoticed. “I feel like that’s a guy that should be in an All-Star Game, especially with the season he’s putting up,” Judge said. “I think he’s a big reason for the success we’ve had.”
And it doesn’t stop there. At the back end of the lineup, the Yankees’ youth movement is alive and thriving. In the past week alone, Austin Wells, Jasson Dominguez, and Ben Rice each hit their first career grand slams, providing depth, power, and relentless pressure from the lower third of the order.
With contributions coming from every corner of the roster, the Yankees are fielding their most balanced and dangerous lineup since 2009. Whether they’re launching balls into the bleachers or grinding pitchers into submission, this offense has made one thing clear: the Bronx Bombers are back—and better than ever.
Mets Preview with Gabrielle Raucci
Mets’ Pitching Clinic: The Home Run Killers
Their pitching staff has been one of the most consistent in the game. Mets starters have given up just 16 home runs all season—by far the fewest in the league and are pitching to the league’s best team ERA of 2.84. Previewing this weekend’s matchups—Tylor Megill’s bulldog mentality, Griffin Canning’s Cy Young-caliber start, and David Peterson’s efficiency have kept opponents guessing and the scoreboard quiet. The bullpen has been just as impressive, with a collective ERA of 2.98 and a WHIP of 1.17—among baseball’s best. And while Edwin Diaz had some early bumps, he’s on an absolute heater now, locking down save after save with his high-90s fastball and vicious slider.
Trigger-Happy Trio in Queens
What sets the Mets apart isn’t just their pitching, though. It’s the depth and balance of their lineup. At the heart of it all is the 1-2-3 punch of Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, and Pete Alonso—arguably the most dangerous trio in the game right now. Lindor sets the tone, hitting .297 with nine home runs, 26 RBI, and an .855 OPS, while Soto’s recent surge (.255 AVG, eight homers, .845 OPS) is the kind of production that makes pitchers sweat. Then there’s Alonso—batting .311 with nine home runs and 36 RBI, with an OPS north of 1.000. Put simply, when the Mets’ big three get rolling, opposing pitchers don’t stand a chance.
Brett Baty is heating up at just the right time too, bringing power from the bottom half of the lineup. Since being called back up, he’s looked like a different hitter—confident, aggressive, and spraying the ball to all fields. Baty’s launched four homers in his last five games with a 1.263 OPS. Pair that with Lindor, Soto, and Alonso at the top, and a little sprinkle of Brandon Nimmo’s unexpected power and RBI flair, and suddenly the Mets’ lineup looks like a problem from one through nine.
Clutch and Clean Defense
You can’t count out the Mets’ defense either. Behind the plate, catchers Luis Torrens (thanks, Yankees, for that one) and Francisco Alvarez are shutting down the running game, with Torrens nabbing 46% of would-be base stealers and Alvarez an eye-popping 73%. In the outfield, Brandon Nimmo has made himself the league’s premier home run thief this May, while Tyrone Taylor seems to go full horizontal to snag liners with alarming regularity. Up the middle, Francisco Lindor continues to remind everyone why he’s one of the greatest shortstops in baseball history, and at first, Pete Alonso’s stone wall defense turns errant throws into routine outs. Mets pitchers are efficient, generating weak contact and rarely giving up home runs, so the Yankees will have to be surgical at the plate to get anything past this Mets defense.
Do We Have To Say Something Nice?
Jonna’s Mets Take:
The Most Well-Balanced Mets Team in Decades
As easy as it is for Yankees fans to take jabs across town, it’s time to give credit where it’s due: the Mets are putting together one of the most well-balanced teams in all of baseball—if not the most balanced. While their roster may not be stacked with headliners in every slot, this team is quietly dominating on both sides of the ball.
Their lineup has been producing consistently from top to bottom, with timely hitting, quality at-bats, and contributions coming from veterans and young bats alike. There’s no easy out in this order, and opposing pitchers are learning that the hard way.
But it’s on the mound where the Mets have truly separated themselves. They lead the league in several key pitching categories and are doing it with a rotation that blends power, finesse, and depth. Whether it’s frontline starters delivering quality outings or a bullpen that’s shutting games down late, the Mets have become one of the toughest matchups in the game.
In a season where offense is booming across the league, the Mets’ ability to counter with elite pitching and a deep, reliable lineup makes them a true contender—and a serious threat to anyone standing in their way.
Gabrielle’s Yankees Take:
Bronx Bombers Have Offensive Juggernaut
The Yankees have been steamrolling their way to wins, primarily thanks to one of the most potent offenses in the game. They’ve been relentless at the plate with an MLB-best .828 OPS and 250 runs scored. Aaron Judge is the epicenter of it all, having one of the greatest offensive starts in modern history. Through 43 games, he’s hitting .412 with 15 home runs, 41 RBI, and an ungodly 1.280 OPS. Judge is tearing the cover off the ball, and no one’s figured out how to stop him yet. Couple that with the 1.11 ERA/sub 1.0 WHIP boasting Max Fried, they’ve certainly established pillars on both sides of the ball.
