We have had a truly wonderful couple of weeks here in New York City. The Knicks and Rangers had this town dreaming big and the vibes were off the charts. Unfortunately, not all dreams come true in this life and the Broadway teams ultimately fell short of their intended championship goals. With “The World’s Most Famous Arena” now dormant and the weather turning for the better, all eyes are squarely on the Bronx and Queens, which means I am back on The Subway Beat. We took a few weeks off here and I missed doing this series as there has been a lot to discuss, and not all of it good. So, climb aboard and make sure an NYPD detective is with us, we have an investigation to do in Flushing before we head uptown to the Bronx.

Mets

“This is Mets Willets Point…” where things are as bleak as they have been in a long time. At the time of writing this piece the Mets just capped off a ten-game home stand in which they went 3-7, all but killing off any hope of turning this season around. This set of games was a real throwback to some of the worst weeks in “Metland” from the 2010’s. Ugly loss after ugly loss on the field and absolute chaos off of it. The bad vibes began when Patrick Bailey hit a go-ahead grand slam off of Reed Garrett to punctuate a Giants comeback victory and stun the Citi Field faithful. This was a prelude of things to come in the week ahead.

The ugliness continued with another blown game on Saturday where Edwin Diaz’s implosion only made matters worse. The Mets then did something they have seemingly perfected over the years, they won a game in wild fashion after hitting what felt like absolute rock bottom. This time it was courtesy of a Sunday Walk off win from down two runs in the ninth off of Giants closer Camilo Doval (he’ll come up again later).

With the finale against the Giants salvaged the Metropolitans welcomed a much stiffer test to Queens, as the Los Angeles Dodgers arrived in town. LA, for all their star power, came to NYC struggling so perhaps the Mets could take advantage of that and get after the Dodgers a bit in their own ballpark. It would seem the Memorial Day rainout washed away the momentum from the Sunday rally as the Mets would drop both games of a double header on Tuesday, setting up another ugly chapter in Mets lore on Wednesday evening. The finale of the series was tied at three until a 6-run eighth inning gave LA a resounding victory. It was however what happened near the end of that nightmare inning that made headlines as reliever Jorge Lopez blew up at the third base umpire leading to an ejection from the game and a memorable glove toss.

Lopez then made matters worse with a set of comments in the postgame media availability that poured gasoline on the fire.

It seems some of Lopez’s comments were taken out of context here, something that is unfortunate as it contributed to the righties release at a time where he is dealing with a difficult situation on the home front, one we wish him well with. Regardless this incident was ugly and the not remotely helpful to a team already in complete chaos and the club released him outright due to their “standards”…a laughable thing to suggest they have at this stage.

With the Dodgers series behind them the Mets welcomed the defending National League champion D-Backs to Citi Field for a four-game set. They started off on the right foot with a pair of wins on Thursday and Friday night before a blowout loss on Saturday and then another blown ninth inning lead in a 5-4 loss on Sunday afternoon. The lone bright spot from this entire week was the ceremony to honor Mets great Darryl Strawberry Saturday afternoon, in a wonderfully put together ceremony.

You may have noticed a change here in that we have not discussed individual performances, good or bad. That is quite simply because there isn’t much to say about this group other than that they are a complete and utter disappointment who have failed to live up to even the most modest of expectations as it seems asking them to just “compete this year” was too big of an ask. Almost nobody on this roster is playing to the back of their baseball card and they have become an utterly listless group with no real character. Long rumored stories of inadequate leadership and poor culture seem to be confirmed. It feels like no one is worth keeping and the rot in this organization is frankly from the top down.

Let’s have the first of two honest conversations about this town’s owners here. I respect Steve Cohen and the work he has done to lift the fan experience at the already great Citi Field. His reverence for the Mets history is honorable and frankly was needed given the previous owners willingness to just flat out ignore it. He has put a lot of work into creating a better product on the field, to mixed results, but you can’t fault him for trying by spending the money. But any owner shouldn’t be seen or heard, and he has made himself a nuisance of late. From fighting with reporters on Twitter to making front page headlines for losing out on his real estate venture to surround Citi Field with a Casino, this is everything his ownership shouldn’t be about. Cohen needs to cut the nonsense out and get back to setting the tone for the organization, preferably off of Twitter. It’s time for another heart-to-heart presser with the fans.

I am going to bypass General Manager David Stearns, as he is working with a mess of a roster that Billy Eppler assembled. On top of that the moves he made this past winter have mostly panned out. Let’s get to the man he hired instead, as Carlos Mendoza must be called to the carpet. While it’s hard to blame him for many of his players underperforming, if things don’t improve on the field or he fails to get more out of the eventual call ups post trade deadline, then it is hard to justify keeping him in this job. The Mets are a mess, and he seems incapable of repairing an already ugly culture. The most important job a Major League manager is to be a leader of men and to build and maintain a culture. He is failing in that regard, and he does himself no favors with his cliche filled press conference performances, which is often the fast track to losing your job in this town as the media begins to turn on you. His unimpressive Rich Kotite-esque responses are nonsensical. Nobody in this town is interested in hearing how “close this team is” or that “they’re battling.” I understand defending your players but results on the field have to change for Mendoza to gain the chance to grow into this job.

Ultimately the players on the field, whom I referred to earlier are the most responsible for what has gone wrong so far this season. A fire sale is needed, one that it doesn’t feel like a few of the faces above will survive. Francisco Lindor and Edwin Diaz are the most likely to still be here after the deadline, and whoever else joins them in that regard must come through in terms of setting a new tone for the organization and building a culture that will lead to future success for the incoming crop of prospects that this franchise has cultivated. We are entering one of the most critical stretches in Steve Cohen’s tenure as owner of this team. The decisions and actions taken now will determine the course of this organization for years to come. Here’s hoping this works out…or else the bad times will roll on. With all that said, it’s time to go across town where things are going decidedly better.

Yankees

“This is 161st Street, Yankee Stadium…” where the fun feels like it is only just beginning. The Yankees, since our last writing, have continued their torrid pace on route to now taking sole possession of the best record in baseball at 42-19. That outstanding run saw them head west and dominate three teams on the left coast. We’ll get to that in a second, but let’s have another honest conversation about ownership.

I have more patience and respect for current Yankees boss Hal Steinbrenner than most fans. I don’t doubt his will and desire to win, and while he may not be quite like his old man, that isn’t always a bad thing. The “baby boss” operates on a tighter budget and does things by making less headlines…or at least he usually does. But prior to the road trip, Steinbrenner felt the need to address the upcoming offseason and the plans for the Yankees pay roll, saying it is “unsustainable” to operate like this. Again, neither seen nor heard, is what most owners should be folks. This isn’t either one as Hal’s awkward comments come while the team is rolling, creating for an unnecessary distraction. Next year and its all of its unknowns is unimportant right now, as all that should matter is ensuring this already impressive team has all the tools it needs to make a run this fall.

Back to the action on the field now, which is really full of good news. The Bronx Bombers were out in force as the Yanks kicked off the road trip at the league’s best ballpark, Petco Park with a series win over the Padres. The catalyst for this series win, and really the entire trip was the Yankee bats, who put on a clinic against Yu Darvish in the series opener. Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton all went yard in one inning and had the Yankee fans who made the trip going wild.

The Yankees eventual loss in the finale, became the first of two in a row as they went to Anaheim and lost a close one to the Angels, a decidedly ugly loss that they will want back. Two losses is hardly worth losing sleep over, but this Yankee team doesn’t do long losing streaks, at least not so far, so it was time to go to their stopper…Luis Gil?!

You read that right, as the youngster continued his brilliant season, with a gem in a 2-1 win over the Halos. As someone who has held stock in Gil since his August 2021 call up, this season has been an absolute blast to watch to this point. Number 81 is 7-1 with a 1.99 ERA, putting him near the top of the league in several pitching categories. At this point it’s fair to call him the ace of this well performing staff, and he would likely be the starter in the All-Star Game for the AL if it were to happen today. Gil made a bit of Yankee history as he struck out 44 batters while pitching to a 0.70 ERA in the month of May, making him the first Yankee in history to put up a month like that. Hopefully this good work continues for the 25-year-old as it is very refreshing to watch the Yankees actually develop a young starter. Following Gil’s brilliant night, the Yanks took the rubber match at their long running house of horrors and headed for San Francisco.

Upon their arrival in city by the bay, the Bombers received some frustrating news as they lost righty Clarke Schmidt to a strained muscle. This is an injury that won’t be easy to come back from and will sideline number 86 for a while, which is a real shame as it is upending his best career season. While they lost Schmidt, they regained the services of DJ LeMahieu who came back from the IL to provide some much-needed depth to a roster that could use some flexibility. With those transactions completed, the attention soon shifted to Arson Judge…sorry Aaron Judge who decided to cap off his historic month of May with a terrific weekend in the Ballpark he grew up going to.

Judge has put a quiet April behind him, putting up one of the best months of his Major League career in May. Judge’s brilliance gives the Yankees their own version of the bash brothers, as he and Juan Soto are forming what feels like an all-time tandem. I have never in my time watching baseball seen a partnership feature talents like Soto and Judge, as they are clearly two of the best hitters in the sport, end of story.

Now speaking of that tandem, let’s talk about Sunday’s thrilling win to cap to the series sweep. Judge went 6 for 10 in the series and his hot hitting continued in the finale, but his sidekick stole his thunder with more late game heroics. Juan Soto’s start in a Yankee uniform is the best I have seen a new addition have in my 28 years of watching this franchise, as the pinstripes certainly don’t seem to heavy for the lefty. His early home run got the Yanks started but they would get locked into a tight one after a big double by Alex Verdugo to even the score at 3-3. They would later fall behind 5-3 but they’re never quite out of a game this season, not with this offense. Cue the rally in the ninth, which started innocently enough as catcher Jose Trivino beat out a double play. That set up Anthony Volpe’s RBI triple, to continue his impressive work at the plate. With number 11 as the tying run at third, in stepped the man of the hour who did his best Barry Bonds impression.

Of course he came through! Did you have any doubt? Juan Soto, with the help of Alex Verdugo and Marcus Stroman, has helped to transform this group this year. They no longer sulk around the dugout in their doldrums. This Yankee team has an edge and those three, with their play and personalities, have helped transform the culture in the clubhouse. This is the kind of team Yankee fans love, one with swagger and energy that acts like it is supposed to win every day. This group shows up not just expecting, but determined to make big things happen in games. Soto, or as the Post back pages call him, “The Say Bay Kid,” was born to play in this town and should never ever leave it.

As the Yanks boarded the charter home it was confirmed that the ace of the staff, Gerrit Cole will begin his rehab assignment Tuesday in Somerset. When number 45 went down we hoped that this team could just survive without him, but they have far exceeded those expectations. With Cole coming back in the fold they will be even more dangerous as this rotation gets deeper and stronger. he is backed up by a staff that will be formidable down the stretch and in October, something the Yankees haven’t had since arguably the 2009-12 contending window. Cole will join the now healthy Jasson Dominguez who is also rehabbing in Somerset, and so far, the Martian is dominating. It will be interesting to see if and when the talented switch hitter will rejoin the big club. As the calendar turns to June the Pinstripes are three games up on the Orioles in the AL East. They will be locked in a tough race with the O’s all year long so it should make for some really compelling drama in August and September. This week had the Yankees and their fans “California Dreamin’” about October and who could blame them right now?

It feels good to be back on the beat and we will get this series back to its regular weekly cadence. Keep an eye out for The Beat, Around the Horn, and offseason NHL and NBA content coming your way in the weeks ahead. Briana and I will also be at the Subway Series game on June 25th, bringing you gameday content from the first meeting of the two teams this year. We’ll also be busy on the Podcast feed with new episodes soon. You can find me on Twitter @YNWA9623 and subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner and entering your email address. Check out our Instagram feed @thebroadwaybreakdownsports for special gameday and promotional content. We have also launched a podcast which carries the same name as the Instagram account. Check out our mailbag page to join the conversation here on the site and on our partners show, The Rangers Ed Podcast! Myself and the Ed’s will have Rangers offseason content coming your way and another special announcement in our collaboration coming soon. We’ll be back with more soon!