As the 2025 season drew to a close, both New York teams delivered dramatic finishes with different outcomes. The Yankees punched their ticket to October but lost in round one of the playoffs, while the Mets, despite flashes of brilliance, were edged out in heartbreaking fashion.
The Yankees finished the regular season with a 94-68 record, tied with the Toronto Blue Jays. However, the Jays won the division in a head to head tiebreaker which then led New York to settle for the top AL Wild Card seed. Ending the year with one of the league’s hottest stretches, an eight game winning streak. The final week set the tone for their postseason. Aaron Judge played a starring role in this surge and cemented his place in the record books. He capped off a monster year by winning his first batting title and launching 53 home runs, the most ever by a batting champion. Judge’s late-season surge, hitting .374 over his final 30 games, secured the crown and established him as a frontrunner for AL MVP. His consistency was influenced by Giancarlo Stanton, Cody Bellinger, and many others.
On the pitching side, the Yankees overcame significant injury issues, with Gerrit Cole and other starters missing time earlier in the year. By late summer, the rotation found stability while the bullpen, bolstered by midseason moves such as acquiring David Bednar, managed to close out tight games. However, Anthony Volpe’s prolonged slump, including just one hit in 37 August at-bats and mounting defensive struggles, forced manager Aaron Boone to rotate the position and bench the once-untouchable prospect. Though the return of Austin Slater added some depth to the outfield, the uncertainty around Volpe hurt the Yankees October run.
Early in October the Yankees took the win over their fiercest rivals the Red Sox in a best of three Wild Card series. Their success was short-lived after the Blue Jays eliminated them in round one of the playoffs.
Across town, the Mets experienced the opposite end of the spectrum. They were destined for disappointment in October. They collapsed over the final 93 games, going just 38-55 and watching their postseason hopes evaporate. They finished 83-79 and were eliminated from postseason contention on the final day of the season. Their fate was sealed not only by a shutout loss to the Marlins but also by a tiebreaker, as the Cincinnati Reds claimed the last Wild Card spot thanks to a 4-2 edge in the season series.
The problems began on the mound. Beyond good play by Kodai Senga and Jose Quintana, the rotation lacked consistency, and the bullpen was overworked and unable to protect leads. Injuries piled up as well, with Francisco Alvarez’s long-awaited return coming too late to spark a turnaround. Offensively, Juan Soto and Pete Alonso did everything they could to keep the team alive. Soto put together a brilliant year, hitting 43 homers with one of highest on-base percentages in baseball, while Alonso added 38 home runs and 126 RBIs. Even so, their star power could not overcome a roster plagued by too many missed opportunities. To add to the uncertainty, Alonso confirmed he will opt out of his contract and test free agency, leaving the Mets with difficult offseason questions.
In the end, the 2025 New York baseball season came to a depressing end. The Yankees headed into October with momentum, beating the Red Sox in the Wild Card Series but it was cut short after losing to the Blue Jays in the ALDS. The Mets, meanwhile, will spend their October in Cancun. Both teams will spend their offseason searching for answers after one of the most frustrating finishes in recent memory.
