If you're from New York, you know the directions. If you're not, listen up: take the seven train from Shea Stadium to Grand Central Station, hop onto the four train heading uptown and then into the Bronx, and get off at 161st street and Yankee Stadium. It's knowledge that very well could come in handy if you're one of the lucky ones to nab a ticket to the first Subway Series since 1956, and the first ever pitting the Mets and Yankees.
The Yankees advanced to the World Series for the third straight season by topping the Seattle Mariners, 9-7, late last night. New York, which won the American League Championship Series in six games, broke the game open with a six-run seventh inning that erased a 4-3 Seattle lead and propelled the team to a much-anticipated matchup with the Mets. Game One of the Subway Series is to take place on Saturday night at Yankee Stadium.
David Justice got things going Tuesday with a three-run homer off Mariners reliever Arthur Rhodes early in the seventh inning, giving the Yankees a 6-4 lead. Paul O'Neill brought in two more runs with a bases-loaded single a few batters later, and Jose Vizcaino's sacrifice fly scored another run before the inning ended.
Seattle retaliated in the top of the eighth behind a leadoff home run by Alex Rodriguez, and scored another two runs on a Mark McLemore double. Rodriguez went 3-for-4 on the day, but the rest of the Mariners could only manager a meager four hits in 28 at-bats.
Yankees starter Orlando Hernandez improved to 8-0 in postseason play despite allowing six runs in seven innings, including homers to Carlos Guillen and Rodriguez. Hernandez gave up two runs in the first inning on doubles by Rodriguez and Edgar Martinez, but didn't allow another hit until Guillen's homer in the fourth, which put Seattle up 4-0.
The Yankees got on the board in the bottom of the fourth behind Jorge Posada's two-run double and O'neill's RBI single. John Halama, Seattle's starter and a native New Yorker, had surrendered just one hit through three innings but was lifted after the fourth-inning barrage.
The win sets up the14th Subway Series in major league baseball history, with the last one ending in the Yankees' seven-game win over the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1956. The Yankees took on the Brooklyn Dodgers seven times and the New York Giants six times between 1921 and 1956. The last single urban-area series came in 1989, when the Oakland Athletics swept the San Francisco Giants in four games.
The series will not mark the first time these teams meet, however, as the inception of interleague play in 1995 means the Mets and Yanks are familiar foes. The Yankees won four of the teams' six meetings this season, with the Mets taking the first and last games of the season series.
The matchup will receive even more hype in the wake of Roger Clemens' beaning of Mets All-Star catcher Mike Piazza in the second game of a day-night doubleheader on July 8. Piazza, who suffered a mild concussion, maintains that Clemens hit him intentionally, while the veteran pitcher denies the accusation.
Completing their half of the quest for a Subway Series, the Mets finished off the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night with a decisive 7-0 victory at Shea Stadium. Unable to reach the World Series since the unforgettable 1986 defeat of the Red Sox, New York clinched the National League title in a 4-1 series victory. By the end of the night, the Mets had joined the 1997 Florida Marlins as the only two teams to reach the World Series after making the playoffs as wildcard teams.
The Mets' off-season acquisition of Mike Hampton paid off, as the '99 Cy-Young runner-up pitched a three hitter, extending his postseason scoreless-innings streak to 17 straight innings. Wanting to end the series after a Game Three loss to the Cardinals that was followed by a win in Game Four, the Mets scored quickly, with three runs in the first, and never looked back from that point while St. Louis struggled against Hampton throughout the night.
Mark McGwire was resigned to pinch hitting during the entire series due to a bad back, and was a non-factor in the game, appearing only in the ninth inning once the Cardinals were essentially done for. Meanwhile, it was the Mets' bats that provided all the offense at Shea on Monday. New York first baseman Todd Zeile put an end to any realistic hopes that his former team had when he knocked out St. Louis starter Pat Hengten with a three run double in the fourth to put the Mets up 6-0. The hit gave Zeile a total of eight RBIs against his former club.
Along with Zeile, the night capped a breakout series for Hampton and Mets catcher Mike Piazza, both of whom had previously struggled in postseason play. Piazza, who entered the series as a .211 hitter in the playoffs, batted .412 with two homers and four RBIs against the Cards. Meanwhile, Hampton, who entered the postseason with an 0-2 playoff record to go with a 5.78 ERA, turned his reputation around by propelling the Mets to a series victory and earning MVP honors.
After helping his team take the initial series lead with seven scoreless innings to win Game One, Hampton had his most dominant big game performance on Monday in his complete game shutout to clinch the World Series berth. The left-handed pitcher compiled eight strikeouts, including Jim Edmonds three times. No Cardinal runner reached scoring position the entire night.
The only damper on the night for the Mets was the eighth-inning injury to outfielder Jay Payton. Cardinal pitcher Dave Veres hit Payton in the helmet with a 1-2 pitch. Payton approached the mound as both teams' benches cleared, but no punches were thrown. Despite bleeding from above his left eye, Payton suffered no serious injuries and should be ready to play by the World Series.
The Mets jumped out to a quick series lead early this week, leaving St. Louis up 2-0. They seemed to allow the Cardinals back into the series with an 8-2 loss in Game Three at Shea, yet were quick to right the ship again. Taking advantage of St. Louis starter Darryl Kile, who was working on only three days rest, the Mets hit five doubles in the first inning and went on to a 10-6 Game Four victory. Facing elimination on Monday, St.Louis was forced to go quietly against Hampton.
While Hampton put up impressive numbers, Pat Hengten was unable to keep up on the opposite side. Starting his first game this series, Hengten was unable to last through the fourth inning, walking five and giving up six runs. Other pitchers did not seem to fare better than Hengten either.
St. Louis was forced to use Hengten in Game Five due to the downfall of their promising 21-year-old lefty, Rick Ankiel. Ankiel lasted only two-thirds of an inning in Game Two, throwing two wild pitches, walking three men and allowing two earned runs. Brought back into the game on Monday in the seventh inning, Ankiel's outing mirrored his previous one. Once again he threw two wild pitches, walked two Mets and surrendered a run, ending the NLCS with a 15.75 ERA.
