NY Mets schedule: 3 series in May that will put the team to the test

There’s an old saying in baseball that you shouldn’t check the standings before Memorial Day, and it’s easy to understand why. Don’t let an early hot or cold streak cloud your judgement of what to expect from your team. This is certainly true about the 2025 New York Mets. Will they be contenders or pretenders? It might still be too early to tell. While there may be some logic in this statement, I tend to look more at the big picture. All games count equally in the standings, wins and losses, March to October. None are really any bigger or smaller than any other.

Now that I've made that statement, let me contradict everything that I just said. The NY Mets have a big stretch of games coming up in mid-May, nine games that will show the world who we really are. Are we contenders or merely pretenders? This stretch of games might provide the answer.

Series #1: at NY Yankees. May 16, 17, 18.

On May 16 we will travel up to the Bronx for a three game weekend series to take on the team that usually has been considered our big brother, the New York Yankees. If there is ever a chance for the Mets shed their image as the redheaded stepchild, this is it. We renew our cross-town rivalry from the 2000 World Series. Aaron Judge’s Yankees will attempt to reclaim their dominance. Polar Bear Pete and company will be ready to show that there's a new big dog in town and its home is in Queens..

Series #2: at Boston Red Sox, May 19, 20, 21

This will be followed immediately by a three-game series at Fenway Park against the team that we defeated for the 1986 World Championship, the Boston Red Sox. Alex Bregman will attempt to lead his powerful Sox team back up to the top of the American League East. They will pose quite a test for a NY Mets team trying to establish itself as one of the best in baseball. Who knows, maybe Boston will even let Bill Buckner throw out the first pitch?

Series #3: home vs Los Angeles Dodgers, May 23, 24, 25

After an off day, the NY Mets return home to face the Los Angeles Dodgers for a three game weekend series beginning on May 23. With players like Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman, the Dodgers' roster reads like a MLB all star team. However, the Mets can counter with an all-star team of their own, featuring Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso. If the Mets have any plans of going all the way this year, that road has to go through Los Angeles. This will be a chance to show the Dodgers and the National League that we belong. Let them worry about facing the NY Mets again somewhere down the road. Also, since the Angels call themselves the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, shouldn't the Dodgers be called the Brooklyn Dodgers of Los Angeles? Just a thought...

These nine games over a ten day span will benchmark what we can expect for the remainder of the 2025 season. In order to be the best, you have to beat the best. Let's go Mets!