Phillies vs Mets: The Rivalry Burns Strong

by Chris Pollay

In the last three seasons, the rivalry between the Phillies and Mets has percolated to an all-time high. The two teams have finished one-two in the NL East standings all three times.

In 2006, the Mets took the NL East by winning 97 games, and in 2007 and 2008, the Phillies usurped their rivals in dramatic late-season fashion, taking the division title by a total of one game (2007) and three games (2008) altogether.

Since the NL East was first created in 1969, the Phillies and Mets have only finished one-two in the division four times altogether, so it is odd that three of them have occurred in recent consecutive seasons.

The other time was in 1986 when the Mets barely edged out the Phillies by 21.5 games.

OK. So, the history of the two ballclubs has been seemingly uninspired intermittently for well over three decades. Heck, the two teams have never even competed against each other in the postseason.

Still, the rivalry has been a thing of beauty to witness lately. In fact, if you look at the head-to-head record of the teams during the past three seasons (2006 to 2008), the Mets hold the bare minimum of margins with a 28 and 27 overall record.

However, if you factor in this season’s ten games (Phils lead 6 to 4) between the two clubs, the Phillies have racked up 33 wins versus 32 losses in the last 65 games between them.

It simply doesn’t get any closer than that. Or does it? If you look at the two team’s 46 head-to-head games throughout 2007, 2008 and so far in 2009, the run total for both teams against each other is as follows: Phillies, 206 runs; Mets, 207 runs. Wow.

With a four-game series coming up between the Phils and Mets in New York, it seems like the stakes might be awfully low this time around. After all, the Phils lead the Mets by 14.5 games and there are two teams sandwiched right in the middle of them in the standings (the Marlins and Braves).

But don’t think for a minute that the Mets don’t want these games badly. This time the Phils will be playing for October and the Mets will be playing for pride.

Long before 2006 and the neck-and-neck division lead battles, the teams still managed to battle hard with tons of memorable games. In fact, since the 2000 season (including thus far in 2009) here is a breakdown of the team’s head-to-head rivalry: the Phils have won 88 games; the Mets have won 84. Only four games separate them in an entire decade!

To illustrate further, let’s break down the total runs scored in those games. The Phils have put 812 on the board while the Mets have put up 804. Eight measly runs separate them in 170 games!

As a way of comparison, let’s look at how the MLB’s “best rivalry” -- the Yankees and Red Sox -- have fared against each other in that same time frame (since 2000, which includes two postseason series against each other).

The Yankees have also outscored Boston by a mere eight runs in all of that time, but the win-loss record is a bit more lopsided. The Bronx Bombers have won 99 to the Red Sox’s 89 victories, a difference of ten games.

I realize nobody will forget the classic back-to-back seven game ALCS series between those two clubs in 2003 and 2004, but the numbers this decade actually suggest that the Phillies and Mets have been a little closer overall in their recent rivalry.

Hopefully, they will translate into another memorable series over the next four days.