We have witnessed multi-stadium Subway Series and multi-nightmare Subway Series (look at you, Luis Castillo), one-time Subway Series and a Subway World Series.
What they are discussing for next weekend, and what it would not surprise, as long as the coronavirus does not get in the way again, is something like the whole of 2020.
A super-large Subway Series.
“[We] next weekend could end with a couple of double heads, ”Aaron Boone said Sunday as his Yankees worked for a second straight day at Yankee Stadium, thanks to the two COVID cases of Mets that made it to the Yankees-Mets matchup of the weekend at Citi Field postponed. “[With Monday] from the comparison, that would have been nice to get into one or even two of these games [Monday]. There may be at least one, if not two, double buyers next weekend. ”
Five games in three days. Wow. It would be labor intensive. It should be fun. It can be very effective for both New York ball clubs.
Indications Sunday night were that the Mets, since Thursday in quarantine when they learned of their accident while in Miami, had prevented further setbacks, negatively testing their entire traveling party through three-plus days of intake, and there was talk of held a workout Monday at Citi Field before returning to action Tuesday against the Marlins at home. With the Marlins in town for three days, one of those will have a twin bill to make up for the game they lost Thursday night in Miami; the Marlins would eventually play handball in that extra game.
Throw in two more double-heats against the Yankees – the series is scheduled to take place at Yankee Stadium, though the lack of paying customers means one day could be held at Citi with minimal adjustments – and that would give the Mets three double-buyers in a week give, quite a strain on their roster and pitching staff in particular. The counter for that is 2020. The Cardinals, suffering from a COVID outbreak that kept them out of action for more than two weeks, played three doubles in a span of five days 15 – Aug. 15-19 as they try to play the full, 60-game schedule. You have expanded the rosters to 28, plus a 29th man activated for doubleheaders, to handle this.
And the doubleheaders, like the Mets should have had first hand, have seven-inning games, the best innovation for baseball since someone put the bases 90 feet apart. The Yankees have played in two of them, all four games lasting under three hours. Glorious. Manageable.
“I’m excited,” said Aaron Judge, who is expected to turn up Tuesday for the next Yankees game when asked about an action-packed weekend. ‘If you swing the bat well, doubleheaders are the best thing for a ballplayer. . I look forward to going through the games in Atlanta first and then back home against the Mets. ”
As the Subway Series has lost much of its electricity since the early days of Roger Clemens, Derek Jeter and Joe Torre taking over Al Leiter, Mike Piazza and Bobby Valentine, it still serves as a meaningful stop on the baseball calendar, one who opposed the regionalization of the pandemic against the scheme only to take a hit from the actual disease. And in this shortened campaign, both teams focused highly as they suffered from their share of the sector’s injury epidemic, while the Mets outscored both Yoenis Cespedes and Marcus Stroman.
That we’ll only get one weekend of it instead of two, the final makeup (s) that are likely to come during a mutual off-day, with more COVID turbulence. Sunday could very well bring us a matchup of new Yankee Gerrit Cole against old Met Jacob deGrom.
Here is rooting for the super big event next weekend. Why not? Everything goes for this shaky campaign. This city has earned the right to spend a few days clinging to local rivalry.
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