NY Mets rivalry from yesteryear went live again and there's no finale scheduled

Unlike other storied franchises like the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and St. Louis Cardinals, the New York Mets have long lacked a definitive rival. Sure, the boys from Flushing have had their share of rivals, but the team cast in the role as the Amazins' arch-nemesis has changed as often as the Citi Field concession menu. In the late 1960s and early 70s, the Miracle Mets clashed with the Cubs.

By the 1980s, the Cardinals and Astros were the teams to beat, followed by the Braves dominating the 1990s as the Mets' chief adversary. The early 2000s saw a mix of opponents before the Phillies emerged as a thorn in the Mets' side during their championship runs in the late 2000s.

Fast forward to the present day, and the Braves have seemingly reclaimed their role as the Mets' primary rival. However, the Phillies—whom the Mets eliminated from the NL playoffs last season—may be an even more contentious foe. Though the two teams only play each other four times a year the rivalry with the crosstown Yankees is of course nothing to sneeze at.

It was written in the stars

In the late 1950s, when the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants grew tired of cold weather and edible pizza, they moved to California, where the weather was pleasant and earthquakes and mudslides plentiful. The abrupt move left a National League-sized hole in the hearts of fans, who were presented with three options. They continue their allegiance to franchises who left them high and dry, become Yankees fans, or roll a ball of yarn down city sidewalks for entertainment. It was remarkable how many people opted for the ball of yarn instead of becoming Yankees fans.

As luck would have it, in 1960, New York NL fans would get a glimmer of hope. On October 17, New York was awarded a new franchise. The Mets took the Dodgers' place as the New York NL team and took their colors or, more accurately, color. The Blue in the Mets logo comes from the Dodgers. (The orange comes from the Giants but nobody really cared.) Despite the shared history and save from eliminating each other from the playoffs a few times through the years, the Dodgers and Mets have never been a heated rivalry — but that changed in 2024.

A Hollywood ending

In the NLCS, the Mets ran into the buzzsaw that was the Dodgers. Los Angeles outscored the Mets 46-26 in the six-game series, with their lineup feasting on Mets pitching. While the Dodgers' own hurlers weren't perfect (pitching to a 4.42 ERA), it was more than enough to send the Amazins home. Despite the loss, the series felt like the beginning of something more.

The Mets played the Dodgers tougher than a $2 steak, and for the boys from Queens, it was a wake-up call. In the immortal words of poet Douglas Malloch, "Defeat may serve as well as victory to shake the soul and let the glory out." Their response? Signing Juan Soto to the largest contract in American sports history. With Soto joining an already talented roster, Steve Cohen's Mets have made their intentions clear: they don't just want to contend—they want to dominate.

One for the ages

A team has not won back-to-back World Series in a quarter of a century. However, the Dodgers are the most recent "almost dynasty," and baseball's current gold standard and recent moves have actually made the team better. In the past eight years, they've been to four World Series and won two of them depending on how you define "won". By baseball parity standards, they're as close to a dynasty as it gets. For the Mets to truly take the next step, they'll have to go through Los Angeles.

This brewing rivalry could define baseball's next era. If the Mets want to establish themselves as the new kings of the National League, they'll have to prove it against the team that has ruled the roost for the better part of the past decade. The Dodgers might just be the perfect adversary to push the Mets to their limits—and, perhaps, into a new golden age of their own.