Is a Subway Series World Series still possible?

Just a little less than a month ago we talked about how realistic a Subway Series for the 2022 World Series was, but is that still the case with a little more than a month to go before the postseason? The answer is still yes, but maybe not as likely as it was back in the beginning of August. 

The Yankees had the best record in baseball and had just finished their multiple trade deadline acquisitions — outfielders Harrison Bader and Andrew Benintendi, and pitchers Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino — while the Mets were surging through the NL East with pitchers Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom healthy and pitching regularly. But now, the Yankees don't even the have the best record in the American League — five games back of the Houston Astros — let alone all of the MLB, and the Mets have recently struggled to score runs consistently. 

If you don't believe me, then let the sportsbooks speak for themselves. As of August 2, the best line for a Subway Series was +980 via Barstool. Now, the line is +967 via DraftKings. Yes, the line is lower than it previously was back in the beginning of August, but not by much. And that's surprising, because we're entering the last full month of the season, and it's becoming more and more clear who's going to make the postseason and who's not.

If American League Cy Young favorite Justin Verlander wasn't on the injured list and All-Star outfielder Michael Brantley wasn't out for the year, Houston would probably be the runaway favorite for the AL pennant. And if Aaron Judge wasn't having a career year, the Yankees might not even be favored to win their first-round playoff series, let alone the AL East. However, Judge is the runaway favorite for the AL MVP, and might just break Roger Maris' AL single-season home run record. To be blunt, Judge is the best player in the game, and the Yankees would be in big trouble without him.

Plus, there's more than enough time for New York to turn the page on a 10-18 August into a strong September, and an even stronger October. It's actually starting to happen now. Despite losing on Wednesday to the Angels, the Bronx Bombers have won six of their last 10 games. 

As for the Mets, they're not going to catch the Dodgers for the best record in baseball, but that doesn't mean they can't beat LA in a seven-game series. DeGrom led the Mets to a 2-1 win over the Dodgers on Wednesday after striking out nine over seven innings of one-run ball, and Max Scherzer has an ERA just north of 2.00 over his last 11 starts. Meanwhile, closer Edwin Diaz might just be the best relief pitcher in baseball, and Adam Ottavino and the rest of the bullpen have been solid all season long. 

The Mets might not be scoring as many runs as they'd like to be, but with their pitching staff, they don't have to. No doubt the NL runs through the Dodgers, but they're not exactly healthy heading into the last month of the season. NL Cy Young candidate Tony Gonsolin just got placed on the IL this week, future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw hasn't pitched in almost a month and Walker Buehler is done for the season. Starting pitching is key come postseason time, and three of the Dodgers top arms aren't healthy. That's a big problem. 

Despite both New York teams not currently being favored to win their respective league pennants, it's still worth putting money on both to get to the World Series. It happened back in 2000, and it might just happen again in 2022. 

The Bet: New York Yankees AND New York Mets to advance to the World Series (+967 odds via DraftKings)

Bet $100 to win $967