One of the things that makes New York Baseball so compelling and fun to follow is the great rivalry between National and American League teams.
In the 40s and 50s the Yankees and Dodgers were like the Hatfields and McCoys even though the only time they faced each other were when they both made the post season.
The real rivalry was being waged on the streets of New York by fans in schoolyards, candy stores, newsstands and soda shops. That’s where all the action was.
When I grew up, it was always about which players were the best. I vividly recall the Lee Mazzilli versus Bucky Dent arguments, and then that was followed by Keith Hernandez versus Don Mattingly.
Kevin Kernan of the New York Post may have given root to the latest round of Mets vs Yankees trash talk when he suggested that Michael Pineda might be New York’s best pitcher and not Matt Harvey. Yikes!
“Make room for Michael Pineda as the best young pitcher in New York,” Kernan writes. “Harvey has garnered all the attention, and that is understandable. He is the Dark Knight, after all. But don’t overlook what Pineda has done as he has developed into the Yankees ace with Masahiro Tanaka sidelined by arm issues.”
Pineda has all the respect in the world for Harvey, writes Kernan. “And Pineda earned a lot more respect around baseball Sunday with his Amazin’ 16-strikeout performance in only seven innings and a career-high 111 pitches in a 6-2 win over the Orioles at Yankee Stadium.”
“Harvey has been great,’’ Pineda told The Post. “I love when he pitches. I love seeing him. I watched him when he pitched against us and it was great.’’
Both are 26 and have posted remarkably similar numbers this season and in their overall careers thus far. Harvey is 5-1 with a 2.72 ERA, while Pineda is 5-0 with the exact same 2.72 ERA.
“I think he’s a little more proven,” Yankees starter CC Sabathia said about Pineda. “Everybody wants to throw Harvey in there, and Harvey is good, but it’s a small, small sample.”
It’s funny because Sabathia is probably clueless to the fact they have the the same exact MLB experience, separated by only five starts.
Pineda has made 47 career starts, Harvey has made 42. Pineda is 18-15 with a 3.08 ERA, Harvey is 17-11 with a 2.43 ERA.
Anyway, it’s these types of comparisons that feed the ongoing great rivalries of New York Baseball, in keeping with a proud tradition. It’s as fun as it is heated, and it’s a part of our fabric.
