The Captain's Blog

Memorial Day kicks of a new era in the Subway Series. Instead of playing two non-consecutive series in each team’s ballpark, the Yankees and Mets will now play a four-game home-and-home series to determine bragging rights.

Since the Subway Series was first played in 1997, the Yankees have won 54 of the 90 contests (58 of 95 including the 2000 World Series), which have comprised eight series victories, including one sweep, against two defeats and six draws. At Yankee Stadium, the Bronx Bombers have won 29 games, while in Flushing, they’ve come out on top 25 times, giving the pinstripes the edge in both boroughs.

There aren’t many players on either active roster who have much experience in the Subway Series. On the Mets side, only David Wright has played in a meaningful number of games, while for the Yankees, Robinson Cano is now the series’ elder statesman with so many of his teammates watching from the disabled list. Because of the turnover on both teams, this year’s showdown will be more about introducing new players to the rivalry than renewing old acquaintances. In particular, Matt Harvey’s debut against the Yankees will likely be the week’s seminal event, and the scheduled match-up against Hiroki Kuroda should help compensate for some of the waning interest that has resulted since the Mets fell on hard times.

As the Mets and Yankees get set to write another chapter in the Subway Series, it’s always nice to look back. So, in honor of next week’s cross-town showdown, below is historical look at both team and individual performances. In addition to the results on the field, a historical look at ticket prices is also provided by TiqIQ, which, as a new partner of the Captain’s Blog, has lots of affordable seats available to the upcoming four games.

History of the Subway Series, 1997-2012 (click to enlarge)

Note: Includes 2000 World Series. Blue in the chart above represents years when the Yankees won more than 50% of the season series. Orange represents when the Mets won more than 50%. When the season series was split, a gray area is visible. The individual team winning percentage trend lines encompass all games played and are only visible when above .500.
Source: Baseball-reference.com

Rivalry Batting Leaders, 1997-2012 (click to enlarge)

Note: Includes 2000 World Series.
*Minimum 25 plate appearances
Source: Baseball-reference.com

Subway Series Pitching Leaders, 1997-2012 (click to enlarge)

Note: Includes 2000 World Series. Game Score is a per-game ranking.
*Minimum 10 innings
Source: Baseball-reference.com

For more Yankees vs. Mets themed history, see the following:

1. Subway Series Two-Timers: A Look at Players Who Have Experienced Both Sides of the City Rivalry
2. Who Needs the Subway? Yankees and Mets Could Have Been Co-Tenants
3. Mayor’s Trophy Mystery: Did Nettles Really Try To Throw A Game?

• With a combined average price of $116, this is the cheapest Subway Series over the last four years.
• This year’s combined average price is down 6% from 2012, 3% from 2011, and 41% from 2010.
• This years most expensive Yankees vs Mets game is Game 2 at Citi Field with an average of $140
• This years least expensive game is the final game at Yankee Stadium with an average of $109
• The cheapest secondary-market ticket the series is $28 with fees at Yankees stadium, for the final game in the Bronx.
• The cheapest ticket directly from a team is $22 before fees at Yankees Stadium, for both games
• The most expensive Subway Series game since 2010 had an average price of $255 on 7/2/11 at Citi Field
• The Least expensive  Subway Series game since 2010 had an average price of $99 on 5/22/11 at Yankee Stadium
• The premium over the regular season average for Mets tickets for this year’s Subway Series is +67% compared to a +140% premium last season.
• The premium over regular season average for Yankees tickets for this year’s Subway Series is +9%, compared to a +20% premium last season.