Both the New York Mets and the New York Yankees started the year with really high expectations.
Both were seen, and rightfully so, as bonafide World Series candidates.
If the regular season was any indication, they looked like strong contenders: the Mets won 101 games and the Yankees 99.
The postseason, however, is a different animal.
While the Yanks were able to at least win a playoff series against the Cleveland Guardians, they were humbled by a truly powerful Houston Astros squad in the Championship Series.
The Mets, on the other hand, lost the NL East division in the final weekend of the season, which forced them to play in the Wild Card round.
Once there, they lost to the San Diego Padres, ending their season in the most disappointing and heart-breaking way.
“This is the first time in MLB history two teams from the same metro area (Mets, Yankees) combined for 200+ wins in the regular season but neither of them reached the World Series that year,” OptaSTATS tweeted.
This is the first time in MLB history two teams from the same metro area (Mets, Yankees) combined for 200+ wins in the regular season but neither of them reached the World Series that year.
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) October 24, 2022
High Expectations
When a team reaches or approaches 100 wins, it is expected to do big things that year.
The problem is that the postseason really tests an organization’s depth and star power.
The Mets had the star power in theory, but Max Scherzer couldn’t deliver big outings when the team needed them and the offense just didn’t produce enough to overcome the Padres.
It hurts, but it happens: the Padres, who won just 89 games in the regular season, had a dominant staff, too, and got hot at the right time.
The Yankees were affected by lots of injuries and failed to produce the required replacements who played at a similarly high level.
That’s something top organizations should do.
In the end, they were exposed by the Astros, and their once-dominant offense was reduced and ridiculed on national TV.
Both teams will try to have a solid offseason and come back stronger in 2023, but there is no denying that 2022 was a failure.