While the “real life” Yankees and Mets edge their way towards MLB’s planned July 23 re-opening and eventual pair of three-game sets at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field, Strat-O-Matic continues its simulation of the 2020 season as it would have been scheduled. Today would have marked the renewal of the Subway Series, the first of two contests in the Bronx, with the Strat-O-Yanks using three runs in the first and third innings to cruise to a 12-2 win.
Masahiro Tanaka, whose “summer camp” season got off to an inauspicious start when he took a liner off the bat of Giancarlo Stanton last week, fared significantly better in his simulated appearance vs. the Mets, tossing seven shutout, five-hit innings. Gleyber Torres blasted his 28th and 29th home runs, driving in four, and Aaron Hicks had four hits including his third home run to pace the Yankees offense.
The simulations haven’t been particularly kind to either club, with the Mets languishing at 41-51 and in fourth place in the N.L. East, and the Yankees a tad better at 47-44, good for second place in the A.L. East, seven games behind Tampa Bay.
Strat-O-Matic will continue to simulate the 2020 regular season until the actual Major League season returns to play.