2000 World Series

The 2000 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's 2000 season. It was a special event because it featured two teams from the same city, New York, playing against each other. The New York Yankees, who had won the last two World Series, faced the New York Mets. This match-up was called the "Subway Series" because both teams are based in New York City.

The Yankees won the series, beating the Mets four games to one. This victory gave the Yankees their third championship in a row and their 26th overall. Derek Jeter, the Yankees' shortstop, was named the most valuable player of the series.

Both teams had exciting paths to reach the World Series. The Yankees beat the Oakland Athletics and the Seattle Mariners in earlier rounds. The Mets defeated the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals to get to the World Series. This was a big moment for the Mets, as it was their first appearance in the World Series since they won in 1986.

Background

See also: 2000 Major League Baseball postseason

New York Yankees

Main article: 2000 New York Yankees season

The New York Yankees were a strong team, even though the 2000 season was their weakest in a few years. They won 87 games during the regular season. Key players like Jorge Posada, Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, and Mariano Rivera helped them win the AL East and reach the World Series. They beat the Oakland Athletics and the Seattle Mariners in the playoffs to get there. This was only the fourth time since 1960 that a team made the World Series after winning fewer than 90 games in the regular season.

New York Mets

Main article: 2000 New York Mets season

The New York Mets had great performances from Edgardo Alfonzo and Mike Piazza, along with strong pitching from Al Leiter and Mike Hampton. They won 94 games in the regular season and earned the Wild Card spot. They beat the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals in the playoffs to reach the World Series. This was the Mets' first World Series appearance since their win in 1986.

The Yankees and Mets had already faced each other during the regular season, with the Yankees winning 4–2 in six games. This was the first time a World Series champion beat the World Series loser in both the regular season and the World Series.

Summary

The 2000 World Series was the big championship game for baseball that year. It was played between two teams from New York City: the New York Yankees and the New York Mets. The Yankees won the series by winning 4 games out of 5. This was their third championship in a row and the 26th time they had won the World Series overall.

Matchups

Game 1

The American national anthem was sung by Billy Joel. The game happened on two special days. Twenty-five years before, a Boston Red Sox player hit a famous home run to keep their World Series game going. Twenty years before, the Philadelphia Phillies won their first World Series.

In Game 1, two experienced players faced each other: Al Leiter and Andy Pettitte. Pettitte had played in the last three World Series with the Yankees, while Leiter had won championships with other teams.

The game started with no one scoring. In the sixth inning, a Mets player almost scored but was caught just before reaching home plate. Then the Yankees scored two runs to lead 2–0.

Later, the Mets tied the game and even took the lead, but the Yankees came back to tie it again. The game went into extra innings. In the bottom of the fourteenth inning, the Yankees scored to win 4–3.

Game 2

The American national anthem was sung by Robert Merrill. Roger Clemens pitched for the Yankees. Earlier that year, Clemens had accidentally hit a Mets player in a game, and there was some tension between the teams. During Game 2, a bat broke and flew toward Clemens, who reacted strongly, but no one was hurt.

The Yankees scored early, leading 2–0 after the first inning. They added more runs and won 6–5, taking a 2–0 lead in the series.

The Yankees' win continued their strong performance in the World Series.

Game 3

The American national anthem was sung by NSYNC. In Game 3, the Mets scored first with a home run, but the Yankees tied the game. Both teams took turns scoring, and the Mets won 4–2, ending the Yankees' long winning streak in the World Series.

Game 4

The American national anthem was sung by Sheryl Crow. The Yankees started strong with a home run and added more runs to lead 3–1. Despite a home run by the Mets, the Yankees kept their lead and moved ahead in the series.

Game 5

The American national anthem was sung by Marc Anthony. The Yankees scored first, but the Mets took the lead. In the top of the ninth inning, the Yankees scored two more runs to win the game and the series.

This game was the last ever played at Shea Stadium in the World Series. The Yankees won the series 4 games to 1, securing their third straight championship and their 26th overall.

Composite box

2000 World Series (4–1): New York Yankees (A.L.) over New York Mets (N.L.)

The New York Yankees won the 2000 World Series, beating the New York Mets four games to one. The difference in total runs between the teams was three, which was the second-smallest for a five-game series in history.

Aftermath

The New York Yankees did not win another World Series title for nine years after 2000, but they stayed competitive every year. They lost the 2001 World Series to the Arizona Diamondbacks and the 2003 World Series to the Florida Marlins.

The 2000 World Series was the last big moment for the New York Mets' team led by players like Piazza and manager Bobby Valentine. After that, the team struggled for several years before returning to the playoffs in 2006.

This World Series was also the last one played at the old Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium, both of which closed after the 2008 season.

Records

The New York Yankees set a new record in 2000 by winning ten games in a row across three World Series. Before this, the record was nine games, set by the Yankees in 1937–1939. Overall, the Yankees won 14 World Series games in a row.

One player, Mariano Rivera, made history by ending the World Series for three years in a row. He was the first and only pitcher to do this.

Radio and television

The 2000 World Series was shown on Fox. This was the first year of Fox’s exclusive coverage, though their full contract started the next year. Joe Buck provided the play-by-play, with Tim McCarver and Bob Brenly as color commentators. Brenly stopped working for Fox after Game 5 to become the manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

ESPN Radio covered the series with Jon Miller and Dave Campbell. Joe Morgan was not part of the broadcast team. During Game 3, Miller had to leave early due to illness, and Charley Steiner took over for the rest of the game.

Local broadcasts included John Sterling and Michael Kay on WABC and WFAN, as well as Bob Murphy and Gary Cohen.

Ratings

The 2000 World Series had an average national rating of 12.4 and a 21% share, which was lower than the year before. It was the lowest-rated World Series at that time, partly because most of the interest was limited to the New York metropolitan area. Some believed the ratings dropped because TV viewers had more choices with cable television. The next few World Series events had higher ratings, but after the Boston Red Sox won in 2004, ratings generally went down again.