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Top 5 rivals in Mets history ranked

By Tim Boyle |
Washington Nationals v New York Mets
Washington Nationals v New York Mets / Elsa/GettyImages
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Rivalries in sports are often determined by divisions. The more teams play each other, the more they grow to hate them. It’s like taking a road trip with anyone. Eventually, by the second rest stop, you can’t stand each other. This is how the New York Mets feel about a lot of teams in the National League East.

The Mets have always been a member of the NL East but changes have occurred to it since 1962 when they were first formed. Some teams have exited the division. Others have entered it. This has made some rivalries diminish. Others have flourished.

Who are the top 5 Mets rivals of all-time? It’s these five clubs.

5) Mets rival: The case for the St. Louis Cardinals

The Mets and St. Louis Cardinals had plenty of battles back in the day. Before there was a National League Central, the Cardinals were in the NL East with the Mets. This meant many more games against each other. Over time, the two grew to become decent rivals.

From a trade aspect, the Mets have certainly gotten an upper hand. The Keith Hernandez trade in 1983 was an absolute victory for New York. It helped lead to a championship in 1986. Even lesser yet effective moves, like the deal for Bernard Gilkey, went in favor of the orange and blue squad.

On the field, the Mets and Cardinals have also gone to war in the postseason. It’s in the postseason when rivalries really begin to take off. It wasn’t until the Cardinals left the NL East and went to the newly formed NL Central in 1995 that it was even possible for these two to face each other in the postseason.

These two have managed to face off against each other twice now in the playoffs. The first was in the 2000 NLCS with the Mets winning the series 4-1 before heading to the World Series. Six years later, in 2006, the two teams went to a Game 7 in the NLCS. One of the most heartbreaking losses in Mets history was the end result.

There will be a rubber match between these two eventually. When they do meet in the regular season, it’s often a big game because of the lingering history but also because the teams have tended to be contenders in recent years.

4) Mets rival: The case for the Los Angeles Dodgers

It’s a New York vs. Los Angeles thing but deeper. The Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers represent two of the biggest sports markets in North America. Naturally, any high-profile game between the two will be a lot bigger.

But the connection goes deeper. The Dodgers, who once represented Brooklyn, were one of the two teams the Mets helped replace in 1962 when they brought National League baseball back to the Big Apple. Historically, they are somewhat rivals without even playing a game.

The Mets and Dodgers have played each other plenty over the years despite never sharing a division. In the early days, the National League included all of the teams so matches between these two were a little more common. When the Dodgers became representatives of the National League West, the rivalry meant only a little bit less.

The two clubs would see each other several times in the postseason. First, it was in the 1988 NLCS when the Dodgers came away victorious. The Mets took the next series in 2006 when they swept the Dodgers in the NLDS. The two would match up against each other one more time in 2015. Again, the Mets were the NLDS winners.

Both big spenders in massive markets, games between these two always seem to hold weight. The fact that Mike Piazza, one of the greatest catchers of all time, represented each with a brief stop with the Florida Marlins in between connects them further. Despite having his best years with the Dodgers, Piazza is better remembered for his time with the Mets. It’s a little extra icing for the rivalry.

3) Mets rival: The case for the New York Yankees

The only American League team on this list, the Mets and New York Yankees are as much of a geographical rival as can be. They both represent the same city. They’re competing in the same market. Unless you live in the Bronx or Flushing, you have a hard choice as to which team to dedicate your life to.

Even if you do live down the street from either ballpark, surely there are plenty who have gone against the neighborhood and chosen the other.

The Mets and Yankees play each other every season because of the rivalry. Interleague play started. Regardless of how the schedule may change, the Mets and Yankees are always on the other’s schedule with games typically scheduled at both ballparks.

The rivalry reached a pinnacle in 2000 when the pair met in the World Series. The powerful Yankees, of course, won over the Mets who hadn’t been in the championship round since 1986. They wouldn’t make it back again until 2015.

Going up against the Yankees as a rival of any kind is tough. The Mets, under the new ownership of Steve Cohen, might have a chance to reverse the clock. Things may eventually feel a little more like the mid-1980s when the city was a bit more of orange and blue than pinstriped.

2) Mets rival: The case for the Philadelphia Phillies

The closest rival geographically within the division, the Philadelphia Phillies are also the longest ones to face off against the Mets. Nobody has played the Amazins more.

The rivalry between these two is a bit precarious. When the Mets are at their best, the Phillies tend to struggle and vice versa. It was only in 2007-2008 when the two clashed and it felt like a true matchup of heavyweights. The Phillies came away as the winners both times. However, over the years, each has taken turns spoiling the season for the other or pounding the other into submission.

These two clubs have yet to meet in the postseason which is a bit of a shame because it could draw the baddest of sports blood out of it. New York and Philadelphia fans are often neighbors in many parts of New Jersey. Even in northern Pennsylvania, some slant a little more toward the Big Apple than the City of Brotherly Love.

Only because both organizations have had their share of struggles and are rarely winning at the same time does this not get the number one spot. Maybe the biggest battle of all in this war is over the rights to “Ya Gotta Believe.” It was a catchphrase of the Mets before it belonged to the Phillies, courtesy of Tug McGraw.

One thing we can all agree on: ya gotta believe this rivalry will never end.

1) Mets rival: The case for the Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves weren’t always a National League East rival of the Mets. This didn’t stop the rivalry from kicking off to new heights in 1969. The two played in the first ever NLCS with the Mets coming out on top.

They’d see each other in the postseason again in 1999 with the Braves winning that one. It ended a decade of dominance from the Braves which would continue into the 2000s.

Older Mets fans might not agree with the Braves being the biggest rival of all. In the 1970s and 1980s, clashes between the two weren’t so notable. It wasn’t until MLB’s realignment that put them together in the NL East in 1995 when we began to care about where Atlanta was in the standings.

The Braves have easily been the best time in the division since 1995 when the five teams currently in there were set—the Washington Nationals converting from being the Montreal Expos included. More often than not, it’s the Braves the Mets need to chase. With all of those years built up in the 1990s and 2000s, it’s hard for fans of a certain age to think of anyone else as the biggest rivals of the Mets.

You may have never legitimately met a Braves fan in your entire life if you’ve stayed in the Northeast. This doesn’t stop us from knowing they are indeed the biggest Mets rival.

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