For 30 years, each chapter — from Shea Stadium and old Yankee Stadium to Citi Field and the current iteration of the ballpark in The Bronx — has been shaped by the faces on the field. But with the milestone season of the rivalry beginning Friday in Queens, The Post decided to look at the off-the-field aspects of the showdown too.
How do the Mets and Yankees compare in each of these areas? And who has the edge? Let’s break it down.
Mets: After debuting in 2009 as the Ebbets Field-inspired replacement to Shea Stadium, Citi Field blends old with new as a welcoming 42,000-seat venue in Flushing. They kept the original home run apple from Shea outside and added a new one out in center field to keep the tradition going, while also unveiling the largest video board in MLB for the 2023 season. The design is also inspired by the old home of the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Yankees: If Citi Field can be described as a ballpark with personality, then the new Yankee Stadium, for the most part, is the antithesis of that. It also opened in 2009.
The architecture looks incredibly similar to the old one across the street in The Bronx, but it lacks all the history that unfolded inside — giving off a sterile vibe.
The edge: Mets
Mets: Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling have been the soundtrack for Mets games for 21 years on SNY, with their banter — alongside field reporter Steve Gelbs — filling the gaps in each game. They’ll have their share of viral moments and clips and comments, but they’re consistently regarded as one of the best booths in baseball.
Yankees: Michael Kay is in his 25th season of calling games for YES Network, and he’s joined by a combination of David Cone, Paul O’Neill and Joe Girardi as analysts for games. Meredith Marakovits has been the network’s clubhouse reporter since 2012. Over the years, Kay has become known for his “see ya” call for home runs.
The edge: Mets
Mets: Darren Meenan started The 7 Line Army — named after the subway line synonymous with the Amazin’s — back in 2012, and the group not only occupies an area near center field during home games but also will travel to road games. In 2023, Steve Cohen sat with them at Opening Day in Miami.
Brodie Van Wagenen famously had “a lot of balls,” in the words of Meenan at the time, to do the same in 2019 at Citi Field too.
Yankees: From the first inning of a game at Yankee Stadium, the Bleacher Creatures make their presence known with a roll-call tradition dating back to the 1990s. Maybe it’s an “Aa-ron Jud-ge” chant that lasts until their superstar turns from his spot in right field — directly in front of the superfans — to acknowledge them. Or maybe it’s shouting “Ben Rice” until he twists toward them and mimics eating out of a bowl.
The edge: Yankees
Mets: Fans only have one subway option when getting to Citi Field: the 7 line, which initially dates back to 1915 and marked the first subway line in Queens, according to Untapped Cities. The stop known as Mets-Willets Point first started running in 1927.
Yankees: The 4 train always runs through the 161st Street station — and has since 1918, one year after the station first opened — while the B and D lines do at times too.
The edge: Yankees because of the variety of options.
Mets: The Mets have white pinstripe, blue, black and gray jerseys that they’ll wear regularly, in addition to mixing in a gray “NYC” City Connect jersey featuring purple trim as a nod to the 7 line. Steve Cohen’s decision to bring back the black alternate jersey in 2021 was a nod to the franchise’s past, with those jerseys originally worn from 1998-2012.
Yankees: This is all about tradition for the Yankees. They’ve not strayed from the home pinstripes — even with other teams adding an alternate City Connect jersey in recent years — for more than 100 years, and the gray jerseys are worn for road games. When they added a Starr Insurance patch in 2023, that was met with some displeasure. Same with when a report surfaced earlier this year about potentially adding a dark blue alternate jersey for road games.
The edge: Yankees
Mets: Not afraid to take a swing. Just Tuesday night, when A.J. Ewing tripled during his Mets debut, they posted an overlap with a Patrick Ewing 3-pointer from a March 1997 game on X. Their starting lineup graphics — and others, too — are in all lowercase letters. They have 1.3 million followers on X and another 1.8 million on Instagram.
Yankees: Simple and to the point most of the time, especially with score updates, lineups and highlights. But where their social media team has some fun is with its “question of the day” series. The self-described “most controversial” one from spring training: Would someone say they turned the air conditioner up or down to make it colder? They have 3.8 million followers on X and another 4 million on Instagram.
The edge: Mets
Mets: They’re the three-time champion of USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Award. From a Puerto Rican soul food kitchen option and an abbreviated 9-9-9 challenge to Mookie Wilson’s smoked pulled chicken sliders and, yes, the classic Shake Shack option, Citi Field truly has a variety of cuisines to fit any craving.
Yankees: The Mini Dessert “Chicken” Bucket — an ice cream novelty with a chocolate-covered cookie “bone” at the center of it — has captivated the minds of fans when available this season. Yankee Stadium, similar to all the other ballparks around the league, has continued to innovate with their options while working in local connections.
The edge: Mets
Mets: Jerry Seinfeld is a passionate Mets fan who will attend games and even made a cameo on the SNY broadcast in 2019 for “Seinfeld Night.” Chris Rock has been a lifelong fan. Kevin James has been used to hype up fans on the massive video board during games.
Jon Stewart doesn’t hide from communicating the pain the Mets have caused throughout his time as a lifelong fan too.
Yankees: There’s director Spike Lee, who popularized the red Yankees hat that they wore recently pregame. There’s Billy Crystal, who even inked a one-day deal and led off as the designated hitter for a spring training game in 2008. There’s Jay-Z and Denzel Washington too.
The edge: Even
Mets: The Mets have their Hall of Fame and Museum, but the format has changed and become less centralized after the expansion of the team store in 2024.
Yankees: The plaques and numbers commemorating the Yankees’ history are featured in Monument Park, which essentially equates to a museum in center field that started at the old stadium in 1932 — when Miller Huggins was honored with a monument.
The edge: Yankees
Mets: While the Yankees are forced to use garages, the Mets, by nature of the setup around Citi Field, have more space and parking lots to work with. There’s room for groups of fans to congregate before entering the ballpark, and they’ll host block parties on Saturdays.
That feels like more of a traditional tailgating scene.
Yankees: The pregame festivities from Billy’s — a bar across the street — and other pubs in the area can spill into the area outside the gates.
The edge: Yankees
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