9 hours ago
How to watch this weekend's Mets at Phillies series as the NL East race heats up
Friends of 'Seinfeld' versus legends of 'Always Sunny' lore. The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies are tethered together for an intriguing three-game weekend series, and the rivals start Friday's action tied atop the NL East. New York has the best collective ERA in baseball, even amid some recent stumbles. Philly is fantastic in its home park, with or without Bryce Harper (wrist). The winner of this matchup gets a leg up in the division and temporary authority over sandwich cheese selection.
Fox is available over the air with a broadcast antenna. 'Sunday Night Baseball' can also be streamed on ESPN+.
Both teams have star-laden lineups worth tuning in for. The trio of Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso regularly turn Flushing into a red carpet affair. In Philadelphia, Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber are slashing at the top of the league yet again. Naturally, MLB broadcast partners want a piece of this action.
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Friday's opener streams via Apple TV+, which requires a separate subscription — a pressure point for the sport's most dedicated fans. Saturday's showdown is on Fox, although a regionalized coverage split means viewers out west will get the Kansas City Royals at San Diego Padres. ESPN hosts the series finale on 'Sunday Night Baseball,' with Jon Sciambi assuming his usual play-by-play duties; he's joined in the booth by former pro Eduardo Pérez and Mets great David Cone. Without any regional broadcasts here, we're sadly deprived of uncut Gary Cohen-Ron Darling energies, and we won't see John Kruk bond with his best friend.
The headliner is right-hander Zack Wheeler on Friday night. The former No. 6 overall pick was a rising star in New York and recorded a 3.77 ERA across five Mets seasons. He then signed with the team's archenemy after the 2019 season and truly leveled up in Philadelphia — almost a full run knocked off his ERA (2.92), with 1,009 strikeouts and two Cy Young runner-up finishes. Wheeler led the National League in WHIP last year at 0.955; his 2025 mark is somehow considerably better at 0.886. The Phillies' ace enters Friday's home start in the 99th percentile for pitching run value. He is serving up premium unleaded nightmare fuel to opposing batters.
David Peterson is set to start for the visitors on Sunday. He's been fantastic thus far and specializes in deflating, quieting ground-ball outs. The southpaw threw a complete-game shutout against the Washington Nationals on June 11.
NYM-PHI from the New York Times archive — 2007:
'New York lost a seven-game lead in the National League East with 17 to play. 'It's embarrassing,' closer Billy Wagner said. 'That's the big thing.'
The Mets went 5-12 to close out the season; the Phillies, a beleaguered franchise that had its own historic collapse in 1964, went 13-4. They capitalized as the Mets' pitching crumbled, their defense disintegrated and their offense, potent at times, fell silent at inopportune moments.' (Ben Shpigel)
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From their first-ever head-to-head playoff series — 2024:
'The sellout crowd greeted Lindor with chants of 'M-V-P!' The fans did their part, rising to the occasion — even singing along to 'My Girl,' Lindor's walkup tune — to set the stage. Then Lindor delivered with the latest version of the biggest hit of the Mets' season …
Citi Field may never have been louder. The place erupted. It was only fitting that Lindor came through with the hit that sent the Mets to the NLCS.' (Tim Britton)
Closers with 100+ combined saves in both jerseys:
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(Photo of Zack Wheeler: Emilee Chinn / Getty Images)
