Prior to Opening Day of the 2023 regular season, there were high hopes for both the Mets and Yankees. And not just for returning to the postseason. There were expectations of making a deep October run toward a World Series title. Heck, even Baseball Prospectus liked the idea of a Subway Series in the Fall Classic.
But, yeah — that’s not happening. Not even close. Entering Monday’s games, both teams are essentially out of contention with two weeks left. The Mets are 69-80 and on the verge of their fifth losing season since 2017. Meanwhile, the Yankees are trying to stay above .500 with a 76-74 record, along with staying out of the AL East basement.
October in New York will look drastically different than we thought it would just a few months ago. That doesn’t mean the organizations won’t experience any kind of playoff baseball, though. In fact, both of their Double-A squads — the Binghamton Rumble Ponies and the Somerset Patriots — will face off in the Eastern League Playoffs.
You don't want to miss this! Come and see the future stars of the @Mets and @Yankees square off for the chance to head to the Eastern League Championship. pic.twitter.com/sbMBRPLOuc
— Binghamton Rumble Ponies (@RumblePoniesBB) September 16, 2023
So, here ya go, folks… something to look forward to this week! It’s not the same as watching the big-league clubs prepare for the postseason. But hey, we need to take what we can get, right?
The Mets and Yankees have been focused on next year for quite some time now. We might as well enjoy what parts of their respective futures could look like. And as the above X post shows, there’s plenty of potential star power in this matchup in the form of top organizational prospects.
This should be a ton of fun to watch/follow. The Rumble Ponies and Patriots will kick off this best-of-three Division Series matchup on Tuesday, September 19th at 6:35 pm ET in Binghamton. Following a day off on Wednesday, Game 2 will happen in Somerset on Thursday at 6:35 pm ET.
If necessary, a deciding Game 3 will be in Somerset on Friday night. The winner of this series advances to the Eastern League Championship. They will play whoever wins the Division Series between the Richmond Flying Squirrels (Giants affiliate) and the Erie SeaWolves (Tigers affiliate).
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
