Yankees ready for battle against Mets

When and where to see

Tonight: Coverage on YES and the YES app begins at 6:00 p.m. with today’s Yankees batting practice

Tomorrow: YES and the YES app will air the postgame show after the game on Prime, where coverage begins at 6:30 p.m.

Possible starters

After recording five strikeouts and throwing 62 pitches in his season debut last Wednesday, Gerrit Cole will make his second start and third career start in the Subway Series tonight. The ace has a no-decision against the Mets in 2021 and 2023. He will play alongside David Peterson, who also pitched in two previous Subway Series games, a start in 2020 and a relief appearance in 2022. Luis Gil will get his first taste of Yankees-Mets action when he faces the Amazins for the first time tomorrow night. The Mets will counter with the offseason signing of Sean Manaea, who is 4-3 with a 4.16 ERA in 14 starts.

Pinstripe Pulse

At 52-28, the Yankees have the second-best record in the American League behind Cleveland (50-26) and are two games ahead of Baltimore for first place in the AL East. Anthony Volpe has a seven-game hitting streak in which he has posted a .321 batting average with four doubles. Trent Grisham has posted a .286 batting average with two home runs in his last eight starts. Ben Rice has gone 5-for-17 with three walks in 21 plate appearances since being called up to the major leagues. Phil Bickford has made two scoreless appearances out of the bullpen since his own promotion. Giancarlo Stanton was placed on the injured list on Sunday after suffering a left hamstring strain the night before. The Yanks completed a trade before their final game, signing infielder J.D. Davis from Oakland. Davis, a former Met who also previously played for Houston and the Giants, posted a .236/.304/.366 batting average in 135 appearances with the A’s, starting 17 times at first base, 11 times at third base and five times as a designated hitter.

How about that

As the Yankees reach the official halfway point of their season, Aaron Judge continues to put up stellar numbers. Despite being kept quiet during Sunday’s series finale against the Braves, Judge entered the game with 51 extra-base hits, making him only the fourth Yankees player in history to reach that number within the first 79 games of a season. The others: Lou Gehrig three times, Babe Ruth twice and Joe DiMaggio once. Pretty good company as always for number 99, right?

Know the enemy

The Mets, with a 37-39 record, are part of a crowded National League wild card field and one of seven teams within three games of a playoff spot. The wild card is likely their only shot at making the postseason, as they are 14 games behind the NL East-leading Phillies. The Mets have a 13-4 record since June 3, the best record in the major leagues during that span. After being ejected from Sunday’s game against the Cubs, closer Edwin Diaz was suspended 10 games and fined an undisclosed amount for violating MLB’s drug ban, but he can appeal and continue pitching until the case is resolved. Among hitters with at least 40 at-bats, J.D. Martinez, who was signed in late March, has the best batting average on the team at .290. Pete Alonso leads the Mets with 16 home runs and is second on the club with his 42 RBIs, one behind Brandon Nimmo. Since April 5, the Mets have won 16-3 games in which Francisco Alvarez started as a catcher, who has led the Mets pitchers to a 2.58 ERA. The team’s ERA is 4.72 when other catchers are behind the plate. Francisco Lindor has 13 home runs and 13 stolen bases — Starling Marte (12) and ex-Yankee Harrison Bader (10) also have double-digit steals.

A new partnership

YES and Willow by Cricbuzz, which offers more live, streaming and on-demand cricket than any other sports service, have partnered to broadcast seven matches featuring reigning Major League Cricket champions MI New York in the upcoming MLC season. These matches will be available on both YES and the YES app, as well as Willow by Cricbuzz’s TV network and streaming platform, starting with the season opener on Friday 5 July, which will see MI New York take on 2023 runners-up Seattle Orcas. Led by elite West Indian batsman Kieron Pollard, MI New York is gearing up to defend its maiden title.

The story of my number

A show featuring some of your favorite Yankees stars just finished its first season and is now streaming on the YES app! Hosted by Gracie Cashman, The story of my number, presented by the New York Lottery highlights pinstripe icons who talk about their lives on and off the field through the prism of numbers. Episodes featuring Aaron Boone, Tino Martinez, Andy Pettitte, Don Mattingly, Nick Swisher and CC Sabathia are available. In addition, other shows have recently been added to the YES app, including two editions of Home Plate New York – one with “Jet” Rivers and “Hot Shot” Swanson of the Harlem Globetrotters and another with Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito and his agent Sean Stellato.