2 former Mets players helped take down the Yankees

The Cleveland Guardians managed to take a win from the New York Yankees on Friday thanks in large part to two former members of the New York Mets. It was Andres Gimenez and Amed Rosario who drove in their first two runs of the game in their 4-2 victory.

For those loyal baseball fans in Cleveland, this comes as no surprise. Each had productive regular seasons with Gimenez making his first All-Star selection.

While it’s Gimenez who stole a little more of the spotlight with a .297/.371/.466 slash line and 17 home runs, Rosario was solid for Cleveland, too. He scored 86 runs, drove in 71—both the runs and RBI totals higher than Gimenez—and led the Guardians with 180 hits.

Mets fans have something to cheer for in the Guardians-Yankees series

Their strong performance this year and into the postseason does raise a question: when should you stop, if ever, rooting for your team’s ex-players?

When it comes to taking down the Yankees, it’s easy for Mets fans to have a reason to cheer. There isn’t much right now in the MLB playoffs. The National League teams still alive are either Mets rivals or the team that beat them. The American League doesn’t have much else to offer either. The Guardians or Seattle Mariners would be logical choices. Each club does feature several former Mets players on the roster.

Gimenez and Rosario are a bit different than a Paul Sewald or Chris Flexen on Seattle. Gimenez was especially beloved during his short stint with the Mets in 2020. Before Francisco Lindor, it looked like we would get a strong fight between those two for the starting shortstop gig.

Instead, the Mets made the big blockbuster deal and brought in a guy almost everyone wanted—I said almost.

The Guardians and Yankees are now tied 1-1 in their series as Mets fans twiddle their thumbs wondering what the future holds for people like Jacob deGrom. Seeing Gimenez and Rosario help take down the Yankees is bittersweet. Once “our guys” in Flushing, we like to see them succeed but not when our players have already started their winter vacation.