In years to come, perhaps the Philadelphia-New York rivalry will be as big as the Boston-New York rivalry in the other league. Certainly it is not yet but the seeds have been planted and the sprouts have started to grow. Tonight, the Yankees take on the Red Sox at the country’s most cherished and storied ballpark, Fenway Park. The Yanks-Sox rivalry is steeped in history going back to the late 1930s. The Mets-Phillies rivalry is a baby by comparison.

There are a couple of things that make a rivalry. One is fierce competition between two clubs close in the standings fighting for a title. The other is proximity although it is not necessary. The Mets had great rivalries over the years with the Cardinals and the Cubs when they were in the same division. The late nineties saw a great rivalry between the Braves and the Mets. They continue to be rivals in the sense that the Mets still struggle when playing them. None of these teams are a stone’s throw from New York.

The only close proximity rivalry the Mets know is against the Yankees. However, the two New York clubs play in different leagues so their rivalry has a different flare to it. It’s more about bragging rights than what it actually means in the seasonal race. New York National League baseball had a huge rivalry during the first half of the 20th century. From what I have read, nothing was bigger than the Brooklyn Dodgers-New York Giants rivalry. And in those years with only eight teams in the league, the two New York teams faced each other 22 times.

The Red Sox-Yankees is considered the greatest of all baseball rivalries. It’s hard to argue with that assessment. Starting in the late 1930’s, the Red Sox finished second to the Yankees almost every year. In 1946, the Sox finally won the pennant with the Yankees finishing third. On September 25, 1949, the Red Sox tied the Yankees for first place. The Sox had an unbelievable second half that season gaining 9 games in the standings from July 1st. The Yankees had led the American League the entire season up to that point. The next day the Sox took a one game lead. With the Yankees trailing the Sox by a game, a two game series against Boston that would end the season was scheduled at Yankee Stadium. The Yanks swept the series winning the pennant by one game. It also didn’t hurt that two of the greatest players in baseball history were a part of that rivalry. Joe DiMaggio for the Yankees and Ted Williams for the Red Sox helped solidify a rivalry which continues to this day. Bucky Dent, Aaron Boone, A four game comeback by the Sox in ’04 have all but made this perhaps the greatest rivalry in all American sports.

A Mets-Phillies rivalry obviously pales in comparison. Unlike Boston and the Yankees, the Mets and Phillies have rarely been good at the same time. When the Mets won the pennants in 1969 and 1973, the Phillies were an also ran team. In the late 70’s the Phillies were hot winning the World Series in 1980. The Mets were awful, likely the worst period in Mets history. The Phillies were not bad in the mid 80’s but they could not compete with the Mets who flirted with dynasty talent. In 1986, the Phillies finished second with 86 wins but were 21.5 games out behind the Mets. The Phils got good again in the early 90’s. Led by ex-Met Lenny Dykstra, the Phillies won the pennant in 1993. That same year the Mets suffered their worst season since the mid 1960’s winning just 59 games. The Mets under Bobby Valentine became a playoff caliber team again in the late 90’s but it was the Braves and Mets who became rivals. The Phillies were back at the bottom wallowing under .500.

Finally in 2006, the year the Mets just missed going to the World Series because of Yadier Molina, there were hints of a rivalry beginning as the Phillies began to play really well the second half of the season. Players like Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard were the Phillies answers to the Mets’ Jose Reyes, David Wright, and Carlos Beltran. The problem for the Phillies that season was the Mets got off to such a huge lead they could never catch up.

In 2006, the Mets defeated the Phillies 11 games to 8. Early in the season the Mets swept the Phillies in Philadelphia as part of a 7 game winning streak. Later in the year however, the Phillies struck back wining 3 of 4 giving Mets fans a slight scare. The Mets still held a comfortable 13 game lead when the series was over.

Last year of course was a completely different story as the Mets collapsed the final two weeks of the season. The team who benefited was the Phillies who deservedly stole the division from the Mets on the last day of the season. Also last season, the Mets lost the last 7 games played against the Phillies including a four game sweep at Philadelphia. The Phillies had their vengeance preventing the Mets from wining their second consecutive division title.

This season, the pendulum has swung in the other direction. After yesterday’s 3-1 victory, the Mets have won 9 of 13 games played against the Phillies. So far this season, the Mets have won all four series played with Philadelphia. More importantly, yesterday’s victory propelled the Mets, for the time being, into first place one game ahead of the Phillies. A two game set at Philadelphia and a three game set at Shea remain. The Mets may have the better starting pitching but the Phillies have a stronger pen. The teams are fairly matched defensively and offensively. It will be a fight down to the wire and don’t forget the Marlins. Regardless of the outcome, the rivalry between the Phillies and Mets will grow as both organizations continue to commit to winning.

What really creates a rivalry is the fans. What makes the Phillies-Mets thing so intriguing is the relatively short distance between the two clubs. Shea, or should I say Citi Field, and Citizen’s Bank Park are only a little more than 100 miles apart. With New Jersey acting as the neutral zone, a trip to either park is fairly easy for Mets and Phillies fans. With both clubs winning a division title in the last two seasons and fighting over one this year, a major rivalry is in the making. Words have been spoken by players and broadcasters alike. The fans are shouting at one and other. Maybe 50 years from now, fans will be looking back at the start of this rivalry as we do today of the summer of 1949.