 Atlanta Braves  New York Mets | |
| Location | Eastern United States |
|---|---|
| First meeting | May 11, 1962[1] Polo Grounds,New York,New York Braves 8, Mets 5 |
| Latest meeting | August 24, 2025[1] Truist Park,Cumberland,Georgia Braves 4, Mets 3 |
| Next meeting | June 12, 2026 Citi Field,New York,New York |
| Stadiums | Braves:Truist Park Mets:Citi Field |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 955[2] |
| All-time series | Braves, 524–430–1 (.549)[2] |
| Regular season series | Braves, 520–425–1 (.550)[1] |
| Postseason results | Mets, 5–4 (.556)[2] |
| Largest victory | |
| Longest win streak | |
| Current win streak | Braves, 1[1] |
| Post-season history | |
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TheBraves–Mets rivalry is arivalry between theAtlanta Braves andNew York Mets. Both clubs are members ofMajor League Baseball'sNational League (NL)East division. The rivalry between the two clubs was particularly fierce during the late 1990s and early 2000s.[6]
The Mets joined the NL in1962 as an expansion team, before the leagues were split into divisions, and when the Braves were still inMilwaukee. Due to Major League Baseball wishing to keep theCardinals and Cubs together in the same division when each league was split into divisions in 1969, Atlanta was forced to join theNational League West and were led byHank Aaron.
In 1966, pitching prospectTom Seaver signed a contract with the Braves when they drafted him in the first round of the secondary June draft (20th overall). But the contract was voided byBaseball CommissionerWilliam Eckert because Seaver's college team had played two exhibition games already that year, despite the fact that Seaver himself did not play in the games. Seaver intended, then, to finish the college season, but because he had signed a pro contract, theNCAA ruled him ineligible.
After Seaver's father complained to Eckert about the unfairness of the situation and threatened with a lawsuit, Eckert ruled that other teams could match the Braves' offer. The Mets were subsequently awarded his signing rights in a lottery drawing among the three teams (thePhiladelphia Phillies andCleveland Indians being the two others) that were willing to match the Braves' terms. Seaver went on to have a Hall of Fame career with the Mets, having his jersey retired by the organization.
Seaver's impact was heavy as he led a staff that boasted excellent pitching, including then prospectNolan Ryan in 1969. Perennial losers, the Mets came back to win the division and face off against the Braves in theNLCS. The "Miracle Mets" swept the Braves in the series, en route to their first World Series championship against theBaltimore Orioles in the1969 World Series. The series against the Braves was the first playoff appearance and series win by an expansion team and theirWorld Series win by extension was the first won by an expansion team.
Despite the early confrontation, the rivalry did not become especially heated until the 1990s, when division realignment put the Mets and Braves in the same division.[7][8] During this time period, the Braves became one of the most dominant teams in professional baseball. The rivalry came to a visible head with theJohn Rocker controversy, where Atlanta pitcher Rocker made a number of derogatory comments about residents of New York City in 1999.[9] This led to incidents of items such as full cups of beverages, and even batteries being thrown at Braves players, namely Rocker, when visiting the Mets.[10] With the end of the Braves' fourteen-season National League East winning streak in 2006, when the Mets won their first division title since1988,[11] the rivalry hit a cooling period.[12][13]
The main cause of the rivalry was division realignment. With theColorado Rockies andFlorida Marlins entering play as expansion teams in the National League in1993,MLB CommissionerFay Vincent ordered realignment of the league,[14] ordering the Braves and theCincinnati Reds moved to the NL East, and theChicago Cubs andrivalSt. Louis Cardinals to the NL West to rectify the geographical anomalyMLB created when realigning in1969.[14][15][16] However, the Mets and the Cubs voted against the plan.[14][16]
Although Vincent's vision never really came into fruition, as he resigned shortly after announcing plans to realign the NL,[17] MLB did in fact realign in1994, albeit in the form of three divisions in each league, and the addition of an expanded playoff format.[18] When agreeing on the realignment, thePittsburgh Pirates switched to the newly createdCentral Division and gave up their spot in the NL East to the Braves.[7][8]
The Braves had already established themselves as one of the dominant teams in baseball prior to realignment with appearances in twoWorld Series prior to the move. The Mets had a reverse of fortune from their dominance in the late 1980s to one of the worst teams in baseball during the early 1990s.
In 1995, the Braves won the National League East by 21 games,[19] and were the only team in the division to post a winning record.[19] However, the Mets were the only team in the league to post a winning record against the eventual champions, posting an 8–5 record with a 5–1 mark at Shea Stadium,[20] propelled by a sweep on the final weekend of the season, helping the Mets finish the season tied for second with thePhiladelphia Phillies. (Mets won the head-to-head tie-breaker by winning the season series 7–6 against the Phillies.[20])[21][22]
Just a year after realignment the Braves won their first championship in Atlanta by defeating theCleveland Indians in the1995 World Series. It was the franchise's first World Series victory in Atlanta and allowed the franchise to become the first ever to win a World Series in three different cities, having previously done so in Boston (1914) and Milwaukee (1957). The Braves' dominance over the National League would continue as they would go on to win the pennant again in1996 behind the pitching ofGreg Maddux,Tom Glavine, andJohn Smoltz.
With the exception of 1996, when the Mets were near the bottom of the National League East, both franchises fielded contenders until deep into each season during this period. In 1997, the Mets overcame a shaky start to the season and were a wild card contender until the final week of the season.[23] Ultimately, though, they finished third place in the NL East and thirteen games back of Atlanta.[24] From 1998 to 2000, the Mets finished second in the standings to the Braves,[25] eighteen,[26] six and a half,[27] and one game behind in those respective seasons.[25][28] With theSt. Louis Cardinals sweeping the Braves in the2000 NLDS, it made the Mets run to their first World Series appearance since their championship season of1986 much easier.[25][29] The Braves had eliminated the Mets from wild-card contention on the final day of the 1998 season and in six games in the1999 NLCS.[25]
The NLCS was along the backdrop of Atlanta power hitterChipper Jones cementing hisMVP award that year by crushing Mets pitching for 4 home runs in three games, and 5 walks in the last days of the regular season. The Braves swept the series and moved 4 games ahead of the Mets with 9 games to play to their eventual division crown. Thinking that the Braves had eliminated the Mets from playoff contention as they had the year before, Chipper Jones infamously remarked: "Now all the Mets fans can go home and put their Yankee stuff on."[30] Despite the setback, the Mets made the playoffs for the first time since1988. Both had moved forward in theNLDS to see each other for the first time in post-season history since division realignment and since their initial post-season meeting during the1969 NLCS and the "Miracle Mets."
The Braves took an early series lead of 3 games to 0, and looked poised to sweep the Mets out of the playoffs. However, the Mets rallied late in Game 4 off Braves' closer and perpetual Mets' nemesisJohn Rocker to win Game 4. The drama of the series was intensified in Game 5 whenRobin Ventura hit a walk-offGrand Slam Single to win the game. The Grand Slam Single was ranked the third Greatest Moment in Mets history, behind only the team's two World Series Championships, which included Game 6 in1986.[31]
The Braves, however, would go on to win the series from the Mets in six games to win their 5th National League pennant of the decade. At the end of the 1999 NLCS,Joe Morgan closed out hisNBC telecast by saying, "It was closing night for the greatest Mets show since (their championship season of)1986." Despite their hard-fought win against the Mets, the Braves would go on to get swept by the Mets'cross-town rivals, theNew York Yankees, who had beaten theirbiggest nemesis,Boston Red Sox, in theALCS, in the1999 World Series. With the exception of Game 1, all the games were decided by 1 run. Game 1 was decided by 2 runs.
For a story published in the January 2000 issue ofSports Illustrated, Braves' closerJohn Rocker made a number of allegations stemming from his experiences inNew York City and answering a question about whether he would ever play for either the Mets or theYankees. Rocker's response wasracist,homophobic, andsexist:
I'd retire first. It's the most hectic, nerve-racking city. Imagine having to take the7 Train to the ballpark looking like you're riding throughBeirut next to some kid with purple hair, next to somequeer withAIDS, right next to some dude who just got out of jail for the fourth time, right next to some 20-year-old mom with four kids. It's depressing... The biggest thing I don't like about New York are the foreigners. You can walk an entire block inTimes Square and not hear anybody speakingEnglish.Asians andKoreans andVietnamese andIndians andRussians andSpanish people and everything up there. How the hell did they get in this country?[32]
During the interview, he also spoke of his opinion of the Mets and their fans:
Nowhere else in the country do people spit at you, throw bottles at you, throw quarters at you, throw batteries at you and say, 'Hey, I did your mother last night — she's a whore.' I talked about what degenerates they were and they proved me right.
The interview was conducted while driving to a speaking engagement inAtlanta.
In June 2000, the Mets achieved a 10-run comeback,[33] In2000, both the Mets and the Braves defeated each other at Shea Stadium to clinch playoff spots in successive days. First, the Braves won the NL East, defeating the Mets.[10] The next day, the Mets beat the Braves to win the wild card, eliminating theLos Angeles Dodgers.[34]
While both the Mets and the Braves were favorites to face each other in theNational League Championship Series for a second straight year, the Braves ended up losing to the Cardinals in the2000 NLDS. On October 7 during game 3 of NLDS at Shea Stadium, Met fans cheered as the scoreboard showed the Braves loss and elimination at the hands of the Cardinals. This assured Met fans their biggest and toughest rival would not impede their playoff run that year.
The Mets easily defeated the Giants to move on to the2000 National League Championship Series, where they defeated the Cardinals to move on to the World Series. In defeating the Cardinals, the Mets clinched their first pennant since winning the1986 World Series. The Mets would go on to lose the2000 World Series to the Yankees in the first post-seasonSubway Series since the1956 World Series.
Twice during the2001 season, the rivalry saw peace. The Mets opened the 2001 season playing the Braves atTurner Field. When the Mets walked into their clubhouse prior to their workout before opening day, officials at the stadium greeted them by writing on the clubhouse message board: "Welcome to the National League champion New York Mets."[13] A week later, the Mets hosted the Braves at Shea Stadium when they raised their 2000 National League Champions banner.[35]
During pre-game festivities on September 21, 2001 at Shea Stadium, both the Braves and Mets paused to remember the victims of theterrorist attacks in New York and Washington ten days before.[36] This was the first professional sporting event held in New York since the attacks.[36] With the Mets down 2–1 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Piazza hit a two-run home run to help the Mets win. The significance of his spirit-lifting home run has been cited as one of the greatest moments inMajor League Baseball history.[37]
In 2003, the Mets signed legendary Braves pitcherTom Glavine for four years, $42.5 million. Glavine had poor success in his first year with the team but did help the Mets reach the2006 NLCS where they lost to theSt. Louis Cardinals in 7 games.
Towards the end of his tenure with the Mets, Glavine started to make grumblings about signing with them and not staying in Atlanta. In his final appearance as a Met on the last day of theseason, with a postseason appearance on the line, Glavine gave up 7 runs in the first inning of a loss to theFlorida Marlins. The loss caused the Mets to lose the division to thePhiladelphia Phillies, missing the playoffs despite being in first place by 7 games as late as September. Some Mets fans believe Glavine threw the game to hurt the Mets, and that his true loyalty lied with the Braves.
Glavine left the Mets following that season and went back to the Braves. The Braves collapsed in a similar way in 2011, for the National League Wild Card, blowing a8+1⁄2 lead for the National League Wild Card in September and losing the wild card by one game to theeventual championSt. Louis Cardinals.[38] The Mets took two out of three in a late September series at Turner Field to contribute to the collapse.
In 2004,Chipper Jones named his child "Shea" after the Mets' homeShea Stadium, citing his great success and memories of playing there.[39]
For opening day on April 3, 2017, the Mets and Braves played against one-another atCiti Field.[40][41] Prior to that, the Braves had won six straight games at Citi Field. On April 5, 2017, Mets veteran RHPBartolo Colón made his Braves appearance at Citi Field, stating he was "very happy and excited to go back there and get the opportunity to play against my ex-teammates."[42]
In 2022, both the Braves and Mets made the2022 postseason with 101 wins. However, theNational League East title and first-round bye was decided in a crucial three-game series atTruist Park from September 30 to October 2.[43][44][45][46] The Mets entered the series with a 98–58 record, a game ahead of the Braves (97–59), and leading the season series 9–7. While the Mets had led the NL East for most of the season, the Braves closed the gap in the division race, thanks to a 14-game winning streak in June and a 74–32 stretch during the final three months.
In the end, Atlanta swept the three-game series in which the Mets' top startersJacob deGrom,Max Scherzer, andChris Bassitt combined to allow 11 earned runs. This allowed the Braves to win the season series 10–9, claiming the NL East division title and first-round bye while New York finished as the top wild card team.[47][48][49][50][51]
However, neither team advanced beyond their first series they played in, with the Braves losing to thePhiladelphia Phillies in the2022 NLDS, and the Mets losing to theSan Diego Padres in theWild Card series, the latter becoming the first 100+ win team to fail to reach the Division Series since it was put into effect in 1995.[52][53][54][55]
Despite the Mets being six games out of a playoff spot on May 29 with a 22–33 record,[56] compared to the Braves' record of 31–22 on the same day,[57] the two teams quickly found themselves in a wild card race. The Mets briefly surpassed the Braves on July 26 following an 8–4 win against them,[58] but the Braves shut out the Mets the next game to retake the lead in the standings.[59]
As the Padres andDiamondbacks began surging in late July and August, the race for the third wild card spot seemingly came down to the Mets and Braves.[60] However, the Mets began to lose ground on the Braves, and by August 28, the Braves established a four game lead on the Mets with only 29 games remaining.[61] However, following a long win streak, the Mets re-tied the Braves on September 6.[62]
Heading into the final series at Truist Park, the Mets were able to take a two game lead over the Braves.[63] However, a loss by the Mets to the Braves on September 24 moved the Braves to just one spot behind the Mets.[64] The remaining two games were postponed to a September 30 doubleheader due to impacts fromHurricane Helene.[65] Heading into the doubleheader, the Mets and Braves both found themselves with identical 88–72 records, with both needing one win to clinch a postseason spot; a sweep from either team would eliminate the loser and send the Diamondbacks into the playoffs instead.[66][67]
The first game of the doubleheader became an instant classic, with the Mets overcoming a three-run deficit heading into the eighth inning by scoring six runs in the top of the eighth, only to blow that lead in the bottom of the eighth and fall behind 7–6. However, a go-ahead two-run home run fromFrancisco Lindor in the ninth inning propelled the Mets to an 8–7 victory, clinching a playoff spot.[68][69] The Braves won the second game 3–0 to clinch a postseason spot as well.[70]
The Braves earned the #5 seed by virtue of winning the season series 7–6, giving the Mets the #6 seed. Due to both teams clinching, both clubhouses held champagne celebrations[71] and congratulated each other despite the rivalry.[72][73]
| Braves vs. Mets Season-by-Season Results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1960s (Braves, 89–52–1)
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1970s (Mets, 61–59)
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1980s (Mets, 68–46)
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1990s (Braves, 73–52)
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2000s (Braves, 105–75)
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2010s (Braves, 100–87)
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2020s (Braves, 52–35)
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Summary of Results
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The Pirates will switch from the East next season. They opposed the move last week when realignment was approved, but agreed to allow Atlanta to move to the East.
With the Marlins' victory over the Phillies yesterday, the Mets moved into a second-place tie with Philadelphia behind the Braves.
Yesterday's 8-2 loss to the Florida Marlins...coupled with New York's third straight win over Atlanta, caused the Phils to end up in a second-place tie with the Mets. Both teams finished with 69-75 records.
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