Phillies Vs. Mets: The Rise of a Rivalry
The Phillies-Mets rivalry has exploded into one of the best rivalries in sports with stars like Jose Reyes and Chase Utley fueling the fire. But it wasn't always this way. It seemed whenever one team was winning, the other couldn’t (or the Braves were beating both teams). Check out the events that gave birth to this heated match up.
Phillies Vs. Mets: The Rise of a Rivalry
The Phillies-Mets rivalry has become one of the best rivalries in sports. But it didn’t really get going until a few years ago. Check out the events that gave birth to this heated, new(ish) rivalry. The Phillies-Mets rivalry has exploded into one of the best rivalries in sports with stars like Jose Reyes and Chase Utley fueling the fire. But it wasn't always this way. It seemed whenever one team was winning, the other couldn’t (or the Braves were beating both teams). Check out the events that gave birth to this heated match up. The Phillies were cellar dwellers of the National League East when the Mets won the Series in 1969. Mets fans were so happy, they proceeded to rush the field and take some souvenirs. The Mets couldn't come near the Phillies in the '70s when Larry Bowa's and Mike Schmidt's Phightins won three straight division championships. It seemed like neither team could field competitive teams when the other was winning. Both teams won World Series in the 1980's each time easily beating out the other team for the division crown. Before the 2006 season started, former Phillies closer Billy Wagner jumped ship to the Mets. Wagner's departure came after a conflict with Phillies outfielder Pat Burrell after Wagner publicly doubted the team's chances of making the playoffs. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2439358 During the season, notions of a potential rivalry were born after Burrell was responsible for two of Wagner’s four blown saves. With the Braves finally falling, the Burrell-Wagner issue and both teams loaded with a slew of great young players at the same time, the seeds of rivalry began to bloom. Then on a cold January day in 2007, one sentence uttered by Jimmy Rollins breathed life into the rivalry. "I think we are the team to beat in the NL East." Despite the inspired words of their shortstop, the Phillies started the 2007 season a paltry 1-6 and finished the month of April three games under .500. But, the Phillies fought back as the season progressed. They posted three series sweeps of the Mets, including a pivotal four-gamer at Citizens Bank Park. But the Mets kept winning. With 17 games remaining the Mets held a seven-game lead in the division. Things looked grim for the Phillies. But, the Mets lost 12 and the Phillies won 13 to clinch the 2007 NL East title. The Mets collapse was so epic that it became the subject of a few "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" skits. After failed suicide attempts, Mr. Met is finally done in with a musket blast by a faux Phillie Phanatic. Before the start of the 2008 season, Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran called out the Phillies and said, "I have no doubt that we're going to win in our division. I have no doubt in that. We've got what it takes. To Jimmy Rollins: we are the team to beat." The Mets and the Phillies would swap the No. 1 spot in the NL East all season. And just like the year before, everything would ride on the last game. The Mets would lose that game, giving up seven runs in the first inning. And just like the year before, they would be knocked out of the playoffs on the last day while the Phillies enjoyed October baseball. Even though the Phillies won the World Series, Rollins still took a shot at the Mets during the parade. "We can talk about the New York Mets... They forgot that it takes more than one player to bring home a championship." Pitcher, and World Series MVP, Cole Hamels even got in on the trash-talking when he called the Mets "choke artists" on a New York radio station and bashed Jose Reyes' showboating. But the Mets weren’t done talking. New closer Francisco Rodriguez told reporters “If they ask me, 'Oh, which ballclub is going to win the National League East?' It's going to be the Mets. Easy question.” We’ll see.
