By Eddie Castro
We are just a little over a month into the baseball season, and if you are a Mets or Yankees fan, there have been a few smiles and frowns already. Both teams are looking to improve from their impressive 2024 seasons. The Yankees are looking to get back to the World Series after coming up short last year to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The difference is, if they do get back to the Fall Classic, it will be without their Ace pitcher Gerrit Cole, who underwent Tommy John Surgery on his pitching elbow.
The Mets are in one of baseball’s most, if not the most, competitive divisions. Both teams are currently in first place in their respective divisions. Although it’s only April, could this be the year New Yorkers finally get to see another Subway Series?
As we go to press, the Mets are off to a red-hot start to the season with a win-loss record of 20-9, which sits atop all of baseball. Despite their key acquisition, Juan Soto is off to an inauspicious start to the campaign, but his teammates, Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor, have picked up the slack on offense for the team. As good as the offense has been for the Mets, the pitching rotation has raised some eyebrows.
The teams’ starting rotation leads MLB in ERA (earned run average) at 2.29, despite two of their starting pitchers (Sean Manaea) and Frankie Montas) yet to make their 2025 debut due to injury. Their pitching dominance is the main reason for them being the first team this year to reach 20 wins. The team has cooled down recently, losing two out of three to the Washington Nationals. The Mets still have a 4.5-game lead in first place in the NL East.
As for the New York Yankees, the team currently has a 1.5 lead of first place in the American League East. The highlight this far for the Yanks has been team Captain Aaron Judge. At this point, I don’t know how it is possible for this man to get better at baseball. Already a 2-time league MVP, Judge is showing the world that he is not just a home run hitter. Judge currently has a batting average of .408, which is significantly above the league average to go along with 7 Homers thus far. He has an on-base percentage of .496, which demonstrates his ability to consistently get on base despite the baseball not leaving the ballpark.
He has 28 RBI (runs batted in), almost surpassing the same number of games he has played at 29. His fast start is helping this Yankee team, along with the heroics of Trent Grisham. That’s right! Trent Grisham. The former Gold Glove outfielder has played very well in the absence of Giancarlo Stanton. Despite their share of injuries, the Yankees can still be competitive on a nightly basis. A few notable pitchers and hitters are on their way back, such as DJ LeMahieu, Jonathan Loaisiga, Giancarlo Stanton, and Luis Gil.
The Yankees and Mets can be very good this year if both rosters can remain healthy. For the most part, the team has endured some horrible weather conditions, both in their home and away games. With the notable names set to return for both teams and the New York weather hopefully ready to move on from Winter, it should be a fun year for both New York teams. I’ve got to catch a game myself.
Sports Notes: (Football) The New York Jets decided to select Offensive Tackle from Missouri, Armand Membou, with their first pick at No.7. Round 2 saw them select tight end Mason Taylor (Son of former Jet Jason Taylor) from LSU. The Giants selected edge rusher Abdul Carter from Penn State with the No.3 overall pick. The team went on to select Jaxon Dart from Ole Miss with the No.25 pick. (Basketball) As we go to press, we should have two scenarios for the Knicks: 1. The team will be heading to Detroit for Game 6. 2. The Knicks have advanced to the second round and await the winner between the Orlando Magic and the Boston Celtics.