Subway Series

New York or Nowhere: A Girl’s Guide to the Subway Series

In honor of Major League Baseballs’ first rivalry weekend of 2025, let’s go in depth about the rivalry from the city that never sleeps: the Subway Series.

A Brief History

Courtesy of Fireside Yankees

This past weekend was huge for New York sports from NBA playoffs to a heated MLB rivalry. With Jalen Brunson bringing it back home to Madison Square Garden for the Knicks to Juan Soto making his return to Yankee Stadium, there is a new buzz in the streets of NYC. Amongst all of the chaos, the Subway Series is a rivalry that runs deep through the blood of New York baseball fans. 

The New York Subway Series is a fan-favorite series between the New York Yankees and New York Mets, played twice a year — once at Yankee Stadium, and once at Citi Field. The series was given it’s nickname due to the ability to access each venue via NYC subway. It originated as a series between the New York Yankees facing either the Brooklyn Dodgers (1890 - 1957) or the New York Giants (1883 - 1957), before both teams relocated to the west coast.

The first Subway Series took place on October 5th, 1921, during the World Series between the Yankees and the Giants in Manhattan, New York. Now, the Subway Series is strictly a battle between the Orange and Blue from Queens, and the Bronx Bombers. 

The rivalry runs deep between these two teams, filled with many iconic moments over the years — from Luis Castillo’s dropped pop-up to the heated clashes between Roger Clemens and Mike Piazza. The first-ever Subway Series matchup between the Mets and Yankees took place in June of the 1997 season, with the Mets shutting out the Yankees 6-0. The Yankees lead the series overall with a 73-51 all-time record against the Mets (not including the World Series). The two have only met in the World Series once in 2000, when the Yankees took the series 4-1. 

Battle of the Boroughs

Courtesy of Fireside Yankees

The Subway Series is one of the greatest shows in Major League Baseball. Yet this year feels a little different, because it’s Juan Soto’s highly anticipated return to the Bronx – except this time, he’s a New York Met. After being traded to the Yankees in 2023 and playing in the Bronx for the 2024 season, Soto broke the hearts of Yankees fans by signing the largest free-agent contract in history with their crosstown rival Mets this offseason. 

There has never been a crosstown return quite like this one. Soto’s return to the Bronx has been headlining since the 2025 MLB schedule was released, and Yankees fans were eager to give him a not-so-warm welcome back to the Bronx. Throughout the entirety of the series, the Bronx faithful made their feelings clear – boos echoed through the stands each time he stepped up to the plate, and the right field Bleacher Creatures even turned their backs to him as he ran out onto the field for the first time. 

This season, instead of the Subway Series being just two games, it is now three. Thanks to Major League Baseball’s recent schedule changes. This allows more chances for fans to witness the intense rivalry between the Mets and Yankees firsthand. 

New York or Nowhere

Courtesy of NYON

The clothing brand New York or Nowhere has officially launched collaborations with both of the city’s baseball clubs. Catered toward New Yorkers, the brand has become a fan favorite– its merchandise has taken the city by storm, especially at Yankee Stadium this past weekend with both sides of the rivalry being represented throughout the stadium and the subway. Their motto “It will always be New York or Nowhere,” truly captures the city’s pride. Despite the division that the Subway Series brings, fans can still agree on one thing: New York runs baseball. 

Yankees Captain Aaron Judge was seen wearing a New York or Nowhere hoodie before hitting free agency in 2022 (hinting he was staying with the Yankees), which prompted the collaboration. NYON announced its collaboration with the Yankees last season and with the Mets just weeks ago.

Currently, both the Yankees and Mets are leading their divisions in the AL and NL East respectively– fueling hopes across the city for a long-awaited Subway Series World Series. This weekend definitely left fans with a glimpse of what that could look like. 

Rivalry Weekend was a huge success across the board for Major League Baseball. I was in attendance for the rubber match of the Subway Series on Sunday and the atmosphere in the Bronx felt just like a postseason game. The Subway Series is more than just a rivalry, it is a series that brings out unmatched energy and passion in some of the greatest fans in the world.