Mets seize bragging rights after commanding Subway sweep

NEW YORK -- The ultimate fate of the 2024 Mets isn’t yet clear and won’t be for months. But one thing about their season is definitively settled: The Mets are the reigning kings of New York.

Their 12-3 blowout win Wednesday night capped a Subway Series sweep of the Yankees, adding two victories at Yankee Stadium to the two they scored at Citi Field last month. They still might not be on the same level as their interborough rivals in the standings, but the Mets nonetheless proved this week that their current trajectory is the more promising one.

Francisco Lindor homered twice, Tyrone Taylor went deep, collected three hits and made a sterling play on defense, and the Mets never had to sweat much in closing out their first Subway Series sweep in more than a decade. The club also moved five games above .500 for the first time in 15 months.

• Lindor makes special delivery to daughter after homer in Bronx

“The vibes are completely different than when we were losing,” Lindor said. “Right now, we understand that we have a good team.”

Less than two months ago, this sort of outcome would have been difficult to fathom. On the morning of May 30, the Yankees were 38-19, sporting the best record in the American League and the second-best in MLB. The Mets, conversely, were 22-33, better than only four teams in baseball.

Then Grimace arrived, “OMG” began blaring, the Mets commenced their early-summer rally and, about two weeks later, the Yankees started crumbling. The teams were already on opposing tracks by the time the Mets arrived in the Bronx this week. A pair of victories from the visitors served only to confirm what had been obvious for the better part of a month.

They also gave the Mets rare unblemished bragging rights in the annual Subway Series. Since the inception of Interleague play in 1997, the Mets had swept the Yankees only once in the season series, back in 2013. And this wasn’t just a sweep, but a bulldozing. Playing in front of four sold-out crowds, including the largest one at Yankee Stadium all season on Wednesday, the Mets outscored their rivals, 36-14.

“Look, we played well,” said manager Carlos Mendoza, a former Yankees coach who’s been part of every Subway Series since 2018. “Not an easy ballpark to come in and take two out of a good team, obviously. It says a lot about this group.”

By the end, Mets fans were the loud ones in the Bronx, drowning out home fans with cheers and chants. And for good reason. Since June 7, the Mets have been the best team in baseball. The Yankees have been second-to-worst, ahead of only the White Sox.

“That was epic,” Taylor said of the crowd reaction. “Shout out to New York City for that. Shout out to the Mets fans. Glad to come away with a win.”

The final victory was a complete team effort, including homers from Lindor (twice), Taylor, Pete Alonso and Mark Vientos. The Mets plated a six-pack of runs off reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole for the second time this season, then batted around in the eighth inning to put the game well out of reach.

Such has been the Mets’ formula for the better part of two months: combine a potent offensive attack with good-enough starting pitching, allowing them to siphon leverage away from their often-shaky bullpen. That relief corps is likely to get an upgrade or two prior to the July 30 Trade Deadline, which is now less than a week away. At that point, things could look even rosier for the Mets.

But first up is a crucial four-game series at Citi Field against a Braves team that, much like the Yankees, are longtime Mets tormentors who have recently struggled to live up to their reputation. The Mets will enter the series sitting just 1 1/2 games back of Atlanta for second place in the NL East and home-field advantage in a potential Wild Card Series (imagine that), offering them another key midseason test.

Asked how much he’s looking forward to returning home for that series, Lindor -- standing in the visiting clubhouse at Yankee Stadium, a ballpark the Mets had just transformed into their personal playpen -- did not hesitate.

“We are home,” he said. “We’re in New York.”

Whether they’re physically in the Bronx or Queens doesn’t really matter. Right now, the focal point of New York baseball is wherever the Mets happen to be.