MLB Weekly Recap - May 1
New York, a city dominated by mediocre sports teams the last decade, is at the top of the baseball world. Both the Mets and the Yankees own the best record in their respective leagues.
The Mets season reached a high point Friday night when the pitching combination of Tylor Megill, Drew Smith, Joely Rodríguez and Edwin Diaz combined for a no-hitter. This was the second ever no-hitter in franchise history and the first by any team this season.
Combined no-hitters are not nearly as impressive as an individual doing it himself, but what made Friday night’s performance really spectacular was the fact it came against the division rival Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies are known for their lineup that features NL MVP Bryce Harper.
The difference maker this year has been new manager Buck Showalter. This Mets team has been composed with a “never say die” mentality. This team seems different than teams years past.
That mentality was highlighted Monday night when the Mets came back to beat the Cardinals after being down 2-0 with two outs in the ninth. Mark Canha sparked the rally after a hard hit ball to Nolan Arenado who couldn’t handle it cleanly.
Out in the Bronx, the Yankees own an MLB-best nine game win streak. Anthony Rizzo has to be in the conversation for player of the week after homering three times against the Baltimore Orioles. Defensively, Luis Severino looks like his former-self which makes that pitching rotation so much deeper.
The most disappointing team this week has to be the Boston Red Sox. Boston has lost seven out of its last 10 and the free fall continued this week when it lost twice to last-place Baltimore last weekend. Boston’s offense has yet to find its groove.
The National League player of the week might be Clayton Kershaw. Last week, Kershaw pitched 11 innings and only gave up two runs. He didn’t have his lights-out stuff like what he had against the Minnesota Twins earlier this year, but he still was effective.
Kershaw deserves player of the week because of history more than actual performance. Kershaw became the Dodgers all-time strikeout leader Saturday night. Kershaw recorded his 2,697th strikeout after retiring Tigers rookie Spencer Tolkerson.
With the calendar turning to May, teams are now in full swing. The Mets and the Yankees look to continue this hot start and separate themselves from the rest of the pack.
Aidan Torok is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ajt6051@psu.edu.
