Philadelphia is playing host to what is the most exciting series in Major League Baseball this weekend as they welcome their National League East rival, the New York Mets, to town for a three-game set. Mets are stumbling their way back north after being swept in back-to-back series against the Tampa Bay Rays and Atlanta Braves. The Phillies, on the other hand, have bounced back from a rough 2-and-10 stretch to win six of their last seven.
As a result, these clubs find themselves tied atop the NL East standings entering Friday, despite New York leading by five and a half games just eight days ago. The importance and excitement of this weekend’s battle of National League titans won’t just be felt inside the brick facade that stands at 1 Citizens Bank Way – all three games of the series are scheduled for national broadcasts.
Former Met and current Phillies ace, Zack Wheeler, kicks things off for Philly as they look to take over the division lead once again. Our own Shaun Nestor breaks down the preview for this weekend, but with so much history, I thought it would be the perfect time to look at some of the history between these teams.
Head-to-Head
All-time, Philadelphia has the advantage with a 556-531-1 record. Even though they found themselves in the same league and division the entirety of the Mets’ existence, they have only played in the postseason once, last season, when the Mets defeated the Phillies 3-1 in the National League Division Series.
During the recent dark years for Philadelphia (2012-2018), New York took care of business, winning 62 percent of the 132 games the teams played in that span (82-50 in favor of NY). Even though the Mets have had some down years since, the Phillies are still just 48-49 (inc. playoffs) against their rivals since 2019. During the early years of the Mets’ existence, their matchups were mostly dominated by the Phillies. Philadelphia had plenty of thin seasons from the mid-80s through the 90s, allowing New York to get back in the standings vs. their NL East foes. Momentum between the clubs has seemed to swing every decade or so – whose turn is it now?
Each team has handed the other one of their worst losses in team history. Philadelphia smashed New York by a score of 26-7 back in 1985 – the 2nd worst loss in Mets history and the highest scoring game in Phillies history. On the flip side, Philly’s fifth-worst defeat came at the hands of New York – a 24-4 shellacking back in 2018, the Mets’ highest scoring game in its history.
Big Moments
Some of the club’s biggest moments have come at each other.
- Jimmy Rollins‘ “I think we are the team to beat in the NL East” comment famously came after the Mets made it to the World Series the season prior, while the Phillies missed the playoffs. Rollins made good on his word, winning the National League MVP as the Phillies closed a 7-game gap in the division with just 17 games left in the 2007 season, knocking the Mets out of a playoff spot and making the playoffs for the first time since 1993
- Carlos Beltran attempted to do the same thing the next season, saying, “there isn’t a team in the NL that’s better than us.” The Phillies would similarly overtake the Mets late in 2008 en route to winning their second World Series in franchise history
- October 6, 1991: David Cone threw a 3-hit shutout against the Phillies, striking out 19 batters – tying Hall of Famer Tom Seaver for the franchise record
- October 2, 1965: In the second game of a doubleheader, the Phillies and Mets played into the next morning, and the game ended in a 0-0 tie after 18 innings due to a curfew in the city. Due to league rules at the time, the game was replayed the next day instead of picking up where they left off. Both starting pitchers – Rob Gardner (NY) and Chris Short (PHI) pitched 15 innings that night, but the game was lost to history and the rulebook.
- June 21, 1964: Jim Bunning threw a perfect game in New York – the first in the National League in over 80 years. To add insult to injury, that was game one of a doubleheader. The Mets would lose the nightcap, as well.
Shared History
With the Mets and Phillies both being in major markets, it’s no surprise that both teams have had major names don their respective uniforms. But what about those that have both blue and red pinstripes in their closets? Below is a list of some of the most famous, and here’s a link to the rest:
- Bobby Abreu (PHI: 1998-2006, NYM: 2014)
- Richie Ashburn (PHI: 1949-1959, NYM: 1962)
- Larry Bowa (PHI: 1970-1981, NYM: 1985)
- Lenny Dykstra (PHI: 1990-1996, NYM: 1985-1989)
- Julio Franco (PHI: 1982, NYM: 2006-2007)
- Pedro Martinez (PHI: 2009, NYM: 2005-2008)
- Tug McGraw (PHI: 1975-1984, NYM: 1965-1974)
- Billy Wagner (PHI: 2004-2005, NYM: 2006-2009)
- Zack Wheeler (PHI: 2020-present), NYM: 2013-2019)
Recent Phillies-Mets History
The current era of the Phillies kicked off in 2019, after the blockbuster signing of superstar Bryce Harper. The club made several other moves, including trading for Jean Segura and J.T. Realmuto, signing Andrew McCutchen, and continuing to give promising young players a chance to prove themselves. New York added some big names of their own (Robinson Cano, Edwin Diaz, Pete Alonso), but despite all those moves, they both found themselves on the outside looking in come October.
Both teams would finish below .500 in the shortened 2020 season, and neither would jump off the page in 2021 despite having big names across both rosters. New York took a step back (77-85) while Philly finished above .500 for the first time since 2011, but just barely at 82-80. Still, it felt like both clubs were on the cusp of breaking out and continuing to get stronger.
And both teams did just that. New York surged to catch the reigning NL East champions, finishing tied with Atlanta for the NL East lead at 101-61. Despite all that noise, it was the Phillies who would be loudest come October. A team that fired their manager, Joe Girardi, after June 1, played some of the best baseball in the majors the rest of the way under current manager Rob Thomson.
Even thought they fell short of 90 wins, thanks to that year’s expansion of the playoff field – they secured the final wild card spot by one game and rode their momentum to an unlikely World Series appearance, knocking off the 96 win Cardinals, the 101 win Braves, and an exciting Padres team before falling short of their third World Series Championship after a matchup with the Houston Astros.
Both teams set the tone that they were not to be taken lightly in the National League. New York would take another step back in 2023, while Philly reached 90 wins and knocked off the division rival, 100+ win Braves, once again before falling to the upstart Diamondbacks in the NLCS.
Last season, Philly finally found themselves leading the way in their division, securing the NL East crown for the first time since 2011 and earning themselves a first-round bye. This time, however, it was New York’s turn to play spoiler. The Mets barely got into the dance, but like the Phillies in 2022, all they needed was an invitation. New York pitching mostly silenced Philadelphia’s high-powered offense, and they made a run to the NLCS before being knocked off by the eventual World Series Champion, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Philadelphia spent the off-season working on internal and personal improvements – changes in mindset and approach, while extending some key pieces in their rotation. New York added the biggest free agent of the year, Juan Soto, to an already exciting lineup.
So far this year, New York is up 3-0 in the season series. Can Philly even things up? Tonight’s game on Apple TV will tell us if it’s possible. Tomorrow night’s game is on Fox, and Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN will show us the series finale. One thing is for sure: you can expect fireworks in South Philly all weekend long.
