For the first time in more than a decade, the Canyon of Heroes could celebrate a New York team. The Yankees have baseball’s best record. The Mets could win 100 games for the first time in 36 years. It isn’t too early to envision the first championship-deciding Subway Series since 2000.
Here’s a look at the other top MLB storylines to follow in the second half of the season:
The battle for a bye — and the NL East
A divisional title would be meaningful for the Mets. The franchise has achieved that feat just twice (2006, 2015) since 1988, but winning the NL East has even greater significance this season. Under the new playoff format, the two division winners with the best records receive first-round byes. While the Dodgers are favored to maintain the NL’s best record, the Mets are currently eight games ahead of the Central-leading Brewers. The Braves, however, have sliced a 10½-game deficit to 2½ with 12 games scheduled against the Mets in the second half, including a three-game set in Atlanta in the penultimate series of the regular season.
