There are plenty of folks who were outraged by the Yankee Stadium crowd that recently chanted “(bleep) Juan Soto” for no good reason. It was unprovoked and crude, right out of a junior high school playbook.
Michael Kay was right when he said the Yankees family should be “embarrassed” by the outburst. A good number of ticket buyers agreed. They denounced the f-bombs as a black mark against the franchise’s pedigree.
All true.
But let’s not overlook the real reason Soto is Public Enemy No. 1 in the Bronx. It’s not just because he turned down Hal Steinbrenner’s check for $760 million.
It’s because of where Soto ended up. For a mere $5 million (talk about MLB’s insane economy, $5 million is now ashtray money) the slugger went across town to Flushing.
That’s the debt Soto will never be able to repay the Bleacher Creatures. Never mind that he slugged a career-high 41 HRs in Pinstripes. Or that he and Aaron Judge combined to take the Yankees to the World Series for the first time in 15 years.
None of that matters when you’ve gone over the dark side – which is how some Yankees fans view Steve Cohen’s Mets.
This is also crazy logic. As Kay asked, why are the Mets such a threat?
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They’re New York’s second team. They haven’t won a championship since 1986. They also play in a fierce National League. The Yankees have a far better chance of getting back to the World Series than their little brothers cross town.
But no matter. Every rivalry needs a villain. The savages on River Avenue have theirs. The drama that awaits on May 16, when the Mets bus to the Bronx for a three-game series, wouldn’t be nearly as much fun without demonizing Soto.
Fortunately, Soto doesn’t take any of it too seriously. He knows there’s nothing to apologize for.
No. 22 made it clear from his first day of spring training in 2024 that a) he was committed to the Yankees for only one season and then b) he was hitting the open market.
In the meantime, Soto promised to play hard (check), serve as Judge’s wingman (another check) and make the Yankees’ lineup the best it’s been in years (trifecta).
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Soto has made similar vows to the Mets after agreeing to a contract that was more lucrative than the Yankees’. That’s the part many haters seem to overlook. Cohen beat Steinbrenner fair and square.
Soto went for the better deal because unlike Judge, who came through the Yankees’ system, his association with the franchise lasted all of one season. No one should’ve expected him to take less money just to wear Pinstripes.
That’s why fans who crave an old-school, intra-borough rivalry should thank Soto. He’s supercharged the coming war between the Yankees and Mets. He’s made it personal.
It wasn’t that long ago the principals were named Clemens and Piazza, who actually loathed each other. And that went for Joe Torre and Bobby Valentine, too. No love between the managers.
The 2000 Subway Series was great theater for New York, even if the rest of the country couldn’t have cared less. The TV ratings were at that time the lowest in World Series history.
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Viewers across the country were tired of the Bombers, who were chasing their fourth championship in five years. The Mets? Their national Q-rating was almost non-existent.
But the script was more compelling in these parts. The Bronx-Queens clash represented the first showdown between Big Apple teams since 1956.
I remember Yogi Berra describing the annual collision with the Brooklyn Dodgers as the best times of his career.
“That’s what I rooted for, us and the Dodgers,” Yogi used to say. “It was the most fun for us and the fans.”
His point? A rivalry is only as good as its components. The Mets have to pose a challenge to the Yankees to make the games credible.
Ironically, the 2000 Yankees, on the tail end of their dynasty, were vulnerable. They won only 87 games in the regular season. It was the Bombers’ lowest output since 1995, culminating in September with 15 losses in the final 18 games, including the last seven in a row.
The Mets, meanwhile, snagged a wild-card berth in both 1999 and 2000, the first in the franchise history they’d made back to back playoff appearances.
That created an irresistible tabloid matchup: the aging monolith against the young insurgents. The last thing George Steinbrenner wanted was to let the Mets jump start another renaissance in Flushing.
Andy Pettitte distinctly remembers the Boss’ edict: win or else.
“I felt like all the pressure was on us,” the former lefthander said. “George was still The Boss at that time. He did not sugarcoat it one bit. He made it clear the Series was very important to him and he expected us to win it.
“To be honest, I didn’t look forward to playing the Mets. We were in a no-win situation.”
Granted, it’s been a while since we’ve seen that kind of war, but with any luck the Subway Series’ 2025 edition will be just as tense.
With Soto serving as the bullseye, I’d say we’re off to a good start.
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Bob Klapisch may be reached at bklapisch@njadvancemedia.com.