At Memorial Day Milepost, New York Yankees And Mets Are Division Leaders With Staying Power

Memorial Day is not the definitive indicator of how a team will end up but it is considered one of three mileposts in the 162-game marathon and if a team holds a division lead at that point, it usually is a good indicator of how things will unfold after all 162 games are done.

This year, both the Yankees and Mets are division leaders at this point for the first time since 1988 and unlike then, both teams appear to possess staying power.

Back in 1988, the Yankees held a 32-16 record and a 1 1/2 game lead on Cleveland in the final weeks of Billy Martin’s fifth and final managerial stint while the Mets were 33-15 and two years removed from their only World Series title of a captivating era that fell short of becoming a dynasty.

When that season ended, the Yankees were the only division lead not to reach the playoffs as they finished fifth in a close AL East that went to the Red Sox.

Thirty-four years later, the Yankees and Mets are leading their divisions by a combined 14 games and own a combined record of 66-32 while getting there in different ways.

The Yankees are owners of a division lead by getting a dynamic performance from Aaron Judge, who leads the majors with 18 homers after contract extension talks finished without a new contract. They are also getting electric starting pitching virtually every day with a rotation that is 17-5 with a 2.82 ERA – the second-best in the majors behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Among the notable stories in the Yankee rotation beyond Gerrit Cole are the emergence of former 36th-round pick Nestor Cortes – whose legend seems to grow with every effective outing – and the return of Luis Severino after multiple injuries limited his appearances since he was a 19-game winner in 2018.

And despite his recent blip, Michael King is fashioning a notable story as a multi-inning reliever who can be used in a variety of ways. Of course, the Yankee bullpen story is highlighted by Clay Holmes, whose MLB-best groundball rate is among the reasons he might stick as the closer whenever Aroldis Chapman returns. The Yankees are getting these performances at a time that has seen them lose Chad Green, Jonathan Loaisiga and Chapman to various injuries since May 12.

The Yankees are owners a division lead with an offense that has hit 67 homers and also missing some key pieces in Giancarlo Stanton, whose injured list stint appears it will be a short one.

As for the Mets, they have been dynamic from the outset in Buck Showalter’s first year back in the the dugout since his lengthy stint in Baltimore ended with 115 losses in 2018. With an emphasis on constantly putting the ball in play, the Mets are doing a lot of things right offensively with a lineup that features steady newcomers Starling Marte and Mark Canha.

Along with a most comfortable in New York version of Francisco Lindor, another All-Star season by Pete Alonso, the Mets are erasing any of the disappointment from their second-half fade that resulted in 77 wins in the first year of owner Steve Cohen’s free-spending tenure.

And while the offense’s numbers of a .264 batting average, a .743 OPS, 256 runs and 448 hits are impressive enough consider the fact that the Mets are achieving the biggest lead of any division leader with a 3.91 ERA from its rotation. It is a respectable figure but also perhaps an impressive one since Jacob deGrom has yet to throw a pitch, Max Scherzer is approaching two weeks into an oblique injury and Tylor Megill is recovering from a biceps injury.

In their place, the Mets are getting steady showings from Chris Bassitt, who are a combined 12-3 so far.

Even with their quick starts, neither team is perfect though the concerns are in different places.

For the Yankees, their concerns lie in left field and center field where Joey Gallo and Aaron Hick are encountering immense struggles. Gallo is hitting .167 with five homers and seven RBIs while 52 of his 120 at-bats have ended in strikeouts. Hicks is not much better as a .200 hitter with one homer and seven RBIs, though it might be reasonable to think his lack of at-bats (618 in 186 games) since his 27-homer season in 2018 could be a contributing factor.

For the Mets, their main concern could be with some of the bullpen depth. While Edwin Diaz has seemingly bounced back from a rough first season, other options have faltered on occasion but even so, the Mets own a bullpen ERA of 3.58 so far, a mark that is significantly improved from 3.90 last season. 4.60 in the pandemic 2020 season and a disastrous 4.99 mark in the 2019 season.

Even with their somewhat minor issues and areas that could be improved, both New York teams appear to possess enough to win divisional races in September and now they will attempt to build on those quick starts while being slightly overshadowed by the Rangers reaching the Eastern Conference finals and experiencing different parts of their schedule as the Yankees embark on playing 19 of their next 28 at home while the Mets start a 10-game road trip against the Dodgers, Padres and Angels later this week.

And if both New York teams can continue building on impressive resumes through the first mile marker, they will avoid the fates of the 2021 Mets and Cubs — division leaders at Memorial Day, who ultimately cratered due to a variety of circumstances in the final months of the marathon.