We'll start way back in 1957. At this time, there were three Baseball teams in New York. NY Yankees, NY Giants, and the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1957, the Giants and Dodgers moved to California. The Giants moved to San Francisco and the Dodgers to L.A. There was only one team in New York now and that was the Yankees. Then five years later in 1962, a new team in New York was founded. The New York Mets, short for metropolitans. The Mets colors were blue and orange. The blue was from the Dodgers and the Orange from the Giants. Now as you might guess, the Yankees and Mets, being the only teams in New York, formed a rivalry as well. However, that's another story for another time.
The Braves franchise has been around longer than any other franchise in sports. They have been through three cities and have won three world championships, one in each city. The team was founded all the way back in 1871, 91 years before the Mets formed. They started in Boston in the National League. When the Boston Red Sox formed in the American League in 1901, the team was pretty much decimated. Considering Boston's losing ways, it was considered a miracle when they won the World Series in 1914. In 1953, they moved to Milwaukee where they would stay another 12 years before moving to Atlanta. They won the World Series in 1957 with Milwaukee. They defeated the Yankees to win their first World Series in 43 years.
In the Braves first season in Atlanta, they drafted pitching prospect Tom Seaver in the 1966 Draft and he signed a contract with the team. However, the contract was voided by Baseball Commissioner William Eckert because Seaver's team in College had played two exhibition games even though Seaver didn't play in either of the games. Then, Seaver wanted to finish his season with his college team, but the NCAA ruled him ineligible because he signed a pro contract. Seaver's father complained about how the situation was unfair, so Eckert said that other teams could try to match the Braves offer. The Phillies, Indians, and Mets were the three teams that tried to match the Braves offer. After a lottery drawing among the three teams, the Mets were awarded Seaver's signing rights. Seaver would go on to play a total of eleven years with the Mets and play with three other teams and would be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011. He is most remembered for his time with the Mets.
In 1969, the Mets were considered persistent losers. However, they came back to win their division. They were set to face off against the Braves in the 1969 NL Championship Series. The winner would go to the World Series. Surprisingly, the Mets swept the Braves. The Mets, for the first time were going to the World Series. The Mets would go on to defeat the Orioles and win the 1969 World Series. It is considered one of the greatest upsets in World Series history. The 1969 Mets team is referred to as the "Miracle Mets."
The rivalry didn't truly begin until the 1990s. New expansion teams entered the MLB and this called for a division realignment. The Braves ended up moving to the NL East, the same division as the Mets. Before this realignment, the Braves were considered one of the most dominant teams in baseball, with two World Series appearances. The Mets were considered one of the worst teams in baseball. In 1995, Atlanta won the East Division by 21 games. The Mets were second, winning 69 games that season. The Braves swept the Reds in the NL Championship. They then went on to defeat the Indians in the World Series, their first and only World Series in Atlanta. They won the NL Championship again in 1996.
The Mets finished near the bottom of the Division in 1996. The Mets were a wild card contender in 1997 until the final week of the season. However, they finished thirteen games back from Atlanta. The Mets finished second to the Braves from 1998-2000. The Cardinals swept the Braves in the 2000 Division Series. This made their run to the World Series easier. In 1998 the Braves eliminated the Mets from Wild Card contention on the final day of the season.
The Braves played a series with the Mets on the final days of the season. Atlanta power hitter Chipper Jones hit four homers in three days. Chipper believed the Braves had eliminated the Mets from playoff contention. Chipper remarked infamously, "now all the Mets fans can go home and put their Yankee stuff on." Despite this, the Mets made it to the Postseason for the first time since 1988. It was Eastern Division Champ Braves vs Wild Card Champ Mets in the 1999 NL Championship Series. The Braves took a lead of three games to 0. The Mets rallied in Game 4 against the Braves and starting pitcher for the game, John Rocker, who was a perennial Mets enemy. In game 5, Robin Ventura hit a Grand Slam Single in extra innings to win the game. It was ranked the third greatest moment in Met's history. However, the Braves would go on to win the Series and their fifth NL Pennant of the 1990s. In the 1999 World Series, the Braves would get swept by the Mets cross-town rival the Yankees.
In 2000, Braves pitcher and Mets nemesis John Rocker made many derogatory comments toward New York. John was suspended for all of spring training and the first 28 games of the regular season for his comments. When playing the at Shea Stadium against the Mets, fans would throw full drinks and other items at Rocker. In 2000, the Braves lost the Division Championship. When the scoreboard at Shea Stadium showed the Braves loss against the Cardinals, fans cheered because it assured them that their toughest rival wouldn't be a threat to them during the Postseason. The Mets defeated the Cardinals in the NL Championship Series to go on to face the Yankees. The Mets lost, but it was their first World Series appearance since the 1986 World Series.
Since 2001, the rivalry has cooled. For proof, just look at Chipper Jones, he named his child Shea after Shea stadium and the great success he had their.
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