Meet the Mets

It's 3-1 heading to the bottom of the seventh inning, with Mets "ace" Mike Pelfrey on the mound have lived up to that moniker so far in the game. With the Yankees' seven, eight and nine hitters due up in the seventh, it's looking like Pelfrey will have a good opportunity to cruise through the inning. Then, Brett Gardner stepped up and delivered a grounder right through Pelfrey's legs for a base hit. Shaking his head knowing he should have made the play, Pelfrey geared up for the next batter. He never recovered.

A quick walk, then a hit batter on what was going to be a sacrifice bunt attempt had the bases loaded with nobody out and the top of the vaunted Yankee order coming up. Even an aging, awful Derek Jeter knows how to handle that situation. One swing of the bat, and it was a tie game.

The Yankees went on to score six more runs in that inning, which ended up providing the final score of 9-3. It was the ultimate example of the difference between the two clubs from New York.

For some reason the Mets just don't seem to enjoy winning very much. They are certainly the less talented of the teams, and would be expected to lose more often than not against the Yankees. But with a two-run lead in the seventh inning and your starter still out there, just a couple innings away from passing the ball to your red hot closer? Should be a W every time. But with the Mets, that lead-off ground ball always seems to make it between the legs for a base hit, and no Yankees pitcher would throw into a bunting batter's shoulder on the first pitch. They just wouldn't lose control like that.

What the Yankees do do, and do very well, is capitalize on those types of boneheaded plays. You want to hand them the bases loaded with no outs? They'll turn it into a four run rally at least. The Mets? A 3-2-3 double play followed by a foul out is just as likely as any other outcome.

Why is that? What is the huge difference? Both teams have outlandish payrolls and talented players. So what is it about that Yankee culture that instills winning? What are the Mets missing? If they ever figure it out, they'll be a force to be reckoned with. Maybe then they'll take some games off the Phillies during the season, too.