The Subway Series: A Wild Ride

Summary: This weekend's Subway Series between the Yankees and the Mets was one for the ages.

This weekend's Subway Series between the Yankees and the Mets was one for the ages. Not only did the winning team triumph by one run in each of the three games, but the series as a whole was about as exciting as it could possibly have been. Game 1 on Friday night had blowout written all over it when Randy Johnson gave up 6 earned runs in 5 innings pitched. However, the Bronx Bombers battled back against pitcher Jeremi Gonzalez to keep it close. Gonzalez gave up 6 earned runs and 9 hits in only 3 innings pitched. The Yankees kept it close all game, only to have Mariano Rivera lose the game at the bottom of the ninth inning in a dramatic fashion on David Wright's walk-off single. The game was a nail-biter all the way through and kept fans glued to the game until the final play. At the end of the game, the Mets pulled out a 7-6 victory. Game 2 on Saturday afternoon was more Yankee-friendly as Mets' reliever Billy Wagner blew a four-run lead in the ninth inning to send the game into extra innings. Mike Mussina threw 7 strong innings, giving up 4 runs and 5 hits. Pedro Martinez dominated the Yanks by throwing 7 scoreless innings, striking out 8 batters and giving up only 4 hits. Maybe the Yankees are still Pedro's daddy, seeing as how the Mets failed to secure the win. It was Johnny Damon who beat out a potential game-ending double-play ball to tie the game in the top of the ninth inning, capping off a four-run inning and embarrassing Billy Wagner; Wagner had dominated the Yankees during the previous game. Andy Phillips hit an RBI single in the eleventh inning, scoring Miguel Cairo and giving the Yankees a 5-4 lead. Mariano Rivera struck out the side, including David Wright, Cliff Floyd, and Xavier Nady, in the eleventh to give the Yankees the 5-4 victory and improve his record to 2-3. Game 2 for the Yankees was a historic win that will not be forgotten anytime soon, but game 3 was an embarrassment that hopefully will not be remembered for very long. Granted the Mets only won by a score of 4-3, but the Yankees went 2 for 17 with runners in scoring position and left 15 men on base. Tom Glavine gave up 2 runs, 7 hits, and struck out 4 in 6 innings to give the Mets a victory and record his 282nd win. Aaron Small had a sub-par outing for the Yankees, giving up 7 hits, 4 earned runs, 2 strikeouts, and walked 1 batter in 4 1/3 innings pitched. The Yankees, for the third straight game, failed to hit a home run. The Mets won the series 2-1, improved their record to 26-17, and are now preparing to host division rivals Philadelphia Phillies for a three-game series starting on Tuesday. The Mets have a three-game lead over the Phillies for the best record in the NL East. The Yankees' record now slips to 24-18 as they head up to Boston for a three-game series against their bitter rivals the Red Sox; the Yankees trail the Sox by 1.5 games for the lead in AL East.