1. New York Yankees 1997-2006
Come on, what else did you expect? What other rivalry had the same intensity and close proximity, over a ten year time frame? The Subway Series is always going to have an extra edge to it, but the first ten years were easily the best.
Clemens vs Piazza. Queens vs the Bronx. For the love of dollar pizza slices, the pride of New York City was at stake.
Throw the records, standings, and stats out the window because none of it mattered when Queens clashed with the Bronx. Interleague play began in 1997, and the rivalry only grew more heated by the year. The Met-Yakee superiority complex grew as both teams found success. The Bronx Bombers championships gave them a clear upper hand, especially after the 2000 World Series. However, the rivalry didn’t lose any steam no matter how much they won; it was just as meaningful the following year. As the Mets became less competitive from 01-05, the rivalry only intensified.
A true battle of alpha males got ugly during the 2000 season, though. After Mike Piazza belted a grand slam off Roger Clemens, The Rocket responded with a heater to the head, giving the Mets #31 a concussion. Tensions only flared in the World Series after Clemens threw a broken bat at Piazza. Yes, it was intentional, you can’t possibly think he was just trying to “throw the bat aside.”
The Yankees proved to be big brother not only with rings, but winning or drawing even in almost every regular season series; it wasn’t until 2004 that the Mets won their first season series against their cross-town rivals.
No player dominated the series like Derek Jeter, whose leadoff homer on the first pitch of the 2000 Fall Classic’s fourth game swung the momentum back to the Bronx for good. It was that single at-bat that exemplified his statement as the best player in the series.
No matter the circumstances though, baseball hadn’t been more electric in New York City since the Dodgers and Giants called the Big Apple home.
