The New York Mets and Yankees are set to square-off in two exhibition games. Will the teams give information away?
Anthony DiComo of MLB.com is reporting that the New York Mets and New York Yankees have agreed to play two exhibition games prior to the start of the season. The games will take place on July 18 at Citi Field and July 19 at Yankee Stadium. Both games will be televised on SNY and YES Network.
The Mets will play the Yankees in exhibition games July 18 at Citi Field and July 19 at Yankee Stadium.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) July 7, 2020
SNY and YES Network will both air these games.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) July 7, 2020
The move was an expected one. MLB is allowing teams to play up to three exhibition games against teams close to them prior to the start of the season. The Mets and Yankees had been in talks about it since the rule was announced.
Normally, this would be just another spring training game. None of it matters because teams aren’t playing their best players or treating it like a regular-season game. But these games may be different.
Starters need time to ramp up both on the mound and at the plate. Jacob deGrom has talked about stretching his arm out in time for Opening Day. Well, giving him five innings against the Yankees could be one way to do that.
Again, normally this wouldn’t be a big deal. The Mets and Yankees play six games against each other every year, and 2020 is no different. However, those six games mean way more this year. In 2020 six games equate to 10% of the schedule; in a normal year, it’s just 3.7%. Those six games could be the difference between making the postseason or not for both teams.
So, it’ll be interesting to see how both teams approach the game. Will they treat it like a dress rehearsal for the regular season and give away information, or will they hold back and treat it like a regular spring training game?
