• Loading stock data...
Saturday, May 31, 2025

New York’s Baseball Resurgence Sets Stage for LCS Drama

  • The high-spending Mets and Yankees now represent half of MLB’s final four.
  • The 2000 World Series involving the two teams posted a viewership low for the event.
Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

New York is once again a focus of the baseball universe, a development arriving after the high-spending Yankees and Mets have both overcome more than a year of disappointment, but also one that could raise viewership issues in the World Series.

The Yankees clinched a berth Thursday in the American League Championship Series, finishing off the Royals in the Division Series in four games. That win came just a day after the Mets’ four-game National League Division Series victory over the Phillies, setting up LCS berths for the two teams in the same season for the first time since 2000 and just the third time in the 55 years of MLB’s divisional format. 

On the surface, the playoff advancements for the Mets and Yankees represent a simple flexing of financial might as the teams are No. 1 and 2 in MLB player payroll this year, with the Mets coming in at nearly $318 million and the Yankees at $309 million. But each has underachieved recently relative to that spending.

Last year, the Mets sagged to a 75–87 finish, and high hopes raised by an MLB record $344 million Opening Day payroll led to a trade deadline selloff of several notable players. This season’s Mets began with a 22–33 record before a furious on-field turnaround that was complemented by several pop culture intersections that became viral sensations, such as McDonald’s mascot Grimace and infielder Jose Iglesias’s song “OMG.”

The Yankees, meanwhile, missed last year’s postseason with an 82–80 record, and even this year’s run to the AL East division title contained plenty of doubt while the Yankees played all of June, July, and August—representing nearly half the season—as essentially a .500 team.

“This hopefully is not the end of the road for us, and we expect more,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after the series-clinching win over the Royals. “But you’ve got to savor these times, too, because to get down to the final four here … I feel like we’re playing well, like we’re pretty well-rounded. We’re not perfect by any means, but I’ll take our chances.”

Blast From the Past

As the Yankees and Mets now will be half of that final four for MLB, they are waiting on their LCS opponents. The Padres and Dodgers will play a deciding Game 5 in their NL Division Series on Friday to face the Mets, while the Tigers and Guardians will do the same on Saturday on the AL side to earn a matchup against the Yankees.

The prospect of a Subway Series Fall Classic, however, recalls the widespread angst—outside of New York—that met the 2000 World Series involving the two teams. The five-game win by the Yankees, while heavy with on-field drama, averaged 18.1 million viewers. The number would be considered massive today, as there is a very different media landscape now than what existed then. But the viewership was a 24% drop from the year before and the worst figure for the World Series, as large swaths of the western U.S. had little interest in the inter-borough matchup. 

It would be another five years before audiences for the event shrank as low as what occurred in 2000.

“This has been a difficult year for a lot of us,” then-Fox Sports president Ed Goren said after that World Series.

The 2024 MLB season, however, has contained much more momentum for the league and its rights holders, including attendance growth and initial viewership increases for the Division Series. Fox Sports in particular said Thursday that its coverage of the NL Division Series has produced its best totals for that round in the last decade, and another robust figure is anticipated Friday, in part due to the presence of Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani in a deciding game. 

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Steve Cohen Taps USTA’s Lew Sherr to Reshape Mets Off Field

The MLB club hires a top executive from the U.S. Tennis Association.

MSG Tickets for Potential Pacers-Knicks Game 7 Start at $1,100

The current get-in price for a potential Game 7 is $1,099.

French Open Scheduling Sparks Backlash Over Women’s Time Slots

Coco Gauff has also said the French Open schedule could be improved.

Chiefs, Royals Stadium Plans Hit Political Wall As Both Parties Say No

Both Republicans and Democrats in Missouri oppose public funding for stadiums.

Featured Today

PSG and the City of Paris Can Join European Soccer’s Elite

What a maiden Champions League title would mean for the French club.
May 30, 2025

How the Champions League Anthem Took on a Life of Its Own

The composer didn’t know he wrote a timeless hit three decades ago.
May 25, 2025

How Rolex Paved the Way for Luxury’s Love Affair With Tennis

“It’s almost impossible to think about tennis without thinking about Rolex.”
Mar 23, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Alexandra Eala (PHI) reacts after winning a point against Madison Keys (USA)(not pictured) on day six of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium.
May 24, 2025

Alex Eala Is Defying Her Country’s Odds to Make French Open History

The Philippines native has overcome a unique set of financial odds.
Oct 26, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) injures left shoulder whilte attempt to steal second base in the seventh inning against the New York Yankees during game two of the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium.

Yankees-Dodgers Clash Draws TV Spotlight, Sky-High Prices

The teams’ lone regular-season series features three nationally aired games.
May 29, 2025

Panthers Clinch Stanley Cup Final Appearance, Stir Up Dynasty Talk

The Panthers clinched a third-straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final.
Sha'Carri Richardson
May 29, 2025

Sha’Carri Richardson Enters Track Start-Up Fray With Alexis Ohanian

Richardson headlines a group of “advisor owners” with equity in the league.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

In Episode 7 of Portfolio Players, go inside the boardroom with Avenue Capital CEO and former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry on Giannis’s future, women’s sports, and upstart leagues like TGL and Unrivaled. 
May 29, 2025

NCAA Exploring March Madness Expansion to 76 Teams in 2026

NCAA president Charlie Baker said March Madness discussions are ongoing.
Softball
May 29, 2025

MLB Makes Eight-Figure Investment in New Softball League 

Athletes Unlimited and Major League Baseball announced the deal Thursday morning.
May 25, 2025; MONACO; McLaren's Lando Norris celebrates with a trophy on the podium after winning the Monaco Grand Prix alongside third placed McLaren's Oscar Piastri and McLaren chief executive Zak Brown at Circuit de Monaco.
May 28, 2025

F1’s Monaco GP Draws Third-Largest U.S. Audience Amid Track Criticisms

F1 will race in Monaco until at least 2031.
May 28, 2025

Big 12 Men’s Coaches in Favor of Expanding March Madness

Kansas coach Bill Self said the conference supports the idea.