This upcoming weekend, the Mets and Yankees will get together at Yankee Stadium for the first Subway Series of the season, and it comes at a very interesting time for both in-state rivals. The Mets are in the midst a remarkable run, having won 10 in a row entering Thursday and actually have the best record in the National League. The Yankees, on the other hand, struggled a bit out of the gate, but have righted the ship since, with wins in five of their last six, including a sweep of fellow AL East division tenant Tampa Bay on the road.
The drama is always high when both New York baseball clubs meet, and now it’s expected to reach even higher levels as they clash in this crucial early-season three-game set. Below the three pitching matchups, along with ticket information pertaining to each contest is broken down. It is interesting to note that for each of these three games fans can find cheaper tickets on Yankees.com than comparable seats on the secondary market. A few examples are highlighted below.
4/24 Jacob deGrom vs Michael Pineda | Yankees.com 100-level (Section 126) pricing: $225 | Secondary market 100-level (Section 126) pricing: $333 | Average price: $149.73
When the Mets and Yankees kick off the latest chapter in their rivalry on Friday night, they’ll be doing so with a couple of brilliant youngsters on the hill. Jacob deGrom gets the ball in game one for the Mets, and the reigning National League Rookie of the Year has been outstanding in the early going, being 2-1 with a microscopic 0.93 ERA. He’s gone at least six strong innings in each start, displaying the same consistency that led him to his award last season, and he also has an impressive 17/3 K/BB ratio in his 19.1 innings of work. Michael Pineda will be his opponent, and while he hasn’t jumped out to the same type of dominant start as his counterpart, he’s still looked pretty good nonetheless, posting an even more impressive 20/2 K/BB ratio in his three starts, while logging at least six innings in each start as well. Fans wanting to see how the series will commence can get a better deal at Yankees.com for tickets, in which you could get seats in section 126 for a relatively reasonable $225. By comparison, seats in the same section draw a $333 price tag on the secondary market. With both starters having the potential to overpower any given lineup, this should be a great opener that could set the tone for the rest of the series.
4/25 Matt Harvey vs C.C. Sabathia | Yankees.com 100-level (Section 135) pricing: $80 | Secondary market 100-level (Section 135) pricing: $139 | Average price: $209.18
Unsurprisingly, the second game of the series features the highest average ticket price and get-in price of all three contests, not just because it’s Brett Gardner Kids Replica Bat Giveaway, but also largely because Matt Harvey will be on the mound for the Mets. “The Dark Knight” made his much-heavily anticipated return to the big leagues this season after missing more than a year due to Tommy John surgery, and he’s performed thus far as if he never left. Harvey is 3-0 through three starts with a 3.50 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and has racked up an impressive 24 punch-outs in only 18 innings of work, as he’s gone exactly six innings in each outing. C.C. Sabathia, meanwhile, was once in the place occupied by Harvey on the Yankees’ side of things, as a consistent ace that fans could count on perennially. He’s fallen off in recent years, but is enjoying a bit of a renaissance so far in 2015, despite an undeserving 0-3 record. Sabathia currently has a 4.35 ERA and 1.26 WHIP, which are his best marks since 2012, and he’s coming off an especially strong start in which he shut down an impressive Tigers lineup over eight innings, limiting them to only two runs, so his confidence is returning to normal. As a result, this will be an interesting pitching matchup that somewhat highlights the new sheriff in town being pitted against the old guard. This high-profile matchup also appears to have better ticket deals on Yankees.com, where one can purchase tickets in section 135 for an affordable $80, compared to a much more inflated $139 for tickets in the same section on the secondary market.
4/26 Jon Niese vs Nathan Eovaldi | Yankees.com 200-level (Section 234) pricing: $55 | Secondary market 200-level (Section 234) pricing: $89 | Average price: $111.04
For the series finale on Sunday, it’s a battle between two completely different pitchers, as left-hander Jon Niese, someone who relies on precision and location, takes on powerful righty Nathan Eovaldi, one of the hardest throwers in all of baseball. In fact, Eovaldi is ranked amongst the upper echelon of baseball in hardest average fastball, consistently clocking in the mid-to-upper 90’s MPH. In his first season with the Yankees, the 25-year-old flamethrower has been solid, being 1-0 in three starts with a 3.12 ERA, while racking up 14 strikeouts in 17-plus innings of work. However, when he was with the Marlins last year, Eovaldi faced the Mets twice and was shelled to the tune of a 7.15 ERA, allowing nine runs on 11 hits. Niese, on the other hand, has been a little more consistent, and has actually been one of the Mets’ best pitchers in the early going. Heading into this fourth start of the year, he’s 2-0 with a sparkling 1.50 ERA, although he also has a far-from-shiny 1.56 WHIP as well. The contrasting styles of both pitchers should help create a compelling final game of the series, which could end up deciding who takes this three- game set. For those wanting to see how the series wraps up, Yankees.com has better deals for tickets, such as in section 234, where you can buy tickets for just $55. On the secondary market, tickets for that same section will fetch a price of $89, which is more than 50% higher than the aforementioned Yankees.com pricing.
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