Subway Series Round 2

The Yankees took first Subway Series at Yankee Stadium and swept the Mets. Could the Mets rally and take the second series from the Yanks?

After a 53 minute rain delay on Friday, June 22nd the second Subway Series got underway. It was Jonathan Niese (5-3) against Andy Pettitte (3-3). The Mets were off to a quick lead, scoring five runs in the first inning with just two outs. Ike Davis hit a three run home run, with Turner hitting a two run single. Davis followed Turner's hit with a fly to right that Swisher got a hand on but the ball decided to hop the fence and make it 5-0. The Yanks rallied in the top of the sixth when ARod homered to center and Andruw Jones went yard to left in the seventh inning. It was 5-2, the Yankees were giving the Mets a run for their money. David Wright wasn't going to let that happen! He doubled to deep left center which allowed Quintanilla to score to make it 6-2 Mets. Robinson Cano homered to right center in the eighth which scored Mark Texeira and made it 6-4. The Yanks were catching up, but Francisco came in closed out the game (Mets' 6-4 victory) after calling their crosstown rivals "chickens".

Although making several comments about their crosstown rivals, Francisco apologized and said he didn't mean anything by it. The Mets nicknamed the chicken 'Jerry Seinfeld'.

The starting pitchers were Young and Nova for the second game of the Subway Series. Chris Young is fresh off the DL, recovering from a shoulder injury. Nova, who is 9-2 has been spectacular for the Yanks. This was his fourth start in 13.5 months. The Mets started off strong again with a homer by Nieuwenhuis in the third inning. The Mets continued to soar in the bottom of the fourth when Josh Thole grounded out to first and Hairston scored, Quintanilla to third. It's not going to stop there for the Mets. Young singled to right to score Murphy making it 3-0, Thole to second. The Yanks were not going to take that! Ibanez homered to right and Texeira and Swisher scored tying the game at 3. Eric Chavez homered to left in the seventh to give the Yankees a 4-3 lead. The Yanks held on and kept the Mets at 3 to win the game.

Fans were going to see the best pitchers in the rubber neck matchup of the second Subway Series, CC Sabathia and R.A. Dickey. The Yanks started the scoring off in this game with Mark Teixeira hitting a sacrifice fly to right, allowing Granderson to score in the third inning. Nick Swisher homered to center, also in the third and ARod and Robinson Cano scored making it 4-0 Yankees. The Mets started to rally in the third when Tejada hit sacrifice fly to left, scoring Torres. The Yanks were hungry for a win and it showed! Mark Teixeira grounded into fielder's choice and Granderson scored, and Tex got to second on an error by Tejada. David Wright singled to left and Dickey scored, Tejada went to second. The Mets weren't about to give up either. In the bottom of the sixth Torres singled to right and Turner and Thoele scored, Rottino to third.  Tejada singled to left, Rottino scored, and Torres went to second. The game was tied at 5 in the sixth. Leave it up to Robbie Cano! He homered in the eighth to make it 6-5. The Yanks took the series 2-1 and continue to dominate over the Mets in the Subway Series.

Let's see if the Yanks can keep their winning streak going in their upcoming series against the Indians.

Social Media Increases Ticket Sales

It's safe to say that social media has taken over society, but it also plays a vital role in the way sports fans follow their teams and favorite players. In addition to following their favorite sports teams, fans are also using social media to get to games via Facebook and Twitter. According to Mashable, "one in five fans use social media networks to invite friends to games, according to a recent report by the Sports Business Journal. Nearly 15% of ticket buyers say their purchases have been influenced by Facebook posts." They are not only being notified about tickets by other fans and friends who can't attend games, but by the sports teams themselves. It sounds perfect, right? Log onto Twitter, see a post by your favorite team for tickets, click the link and bam! You have your tickets. But, wait a minute, there is a catch. When purchasing tickets via social media sites in advance, one is going to pay more than if they purchased them other ways or a couple days before the game. Purchasing tickets through Facebook or Twitter hours before a game can cost you! Yes, it is very convenient and a great way to connect with other fans but there may be some repercussions as well.

Check out this infographic for more statistics (Mashable):