The Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets were expected to battle it out for the division title over the last couple of seasons, but the Phillies ended up prevailing with relative ease. Experts even had the Mets as World Series contenders coming into the 2025 season. They had to beat the reigning division champion Phillies, and it was apparent during the long season that they weren't built to stand victorious.
The Phillies hosted the Mets at home on June 20 for a regular season matchup. There was a misplay by second baseman Jeff McNeil, which led to a confrontation with shortstop Francisco Lindor. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the defensive lapse was a microcosm of what was to come (subscription required), and it planted the seed of dysfunction for the remainder of their regular season.
Phillies helped expose rival Mets' inner turmoil this season
The argument between Lindor and McNeil wasn't just ignited this season. There had also been a previous quarrel between the two back in 2021, which led to a physical altercation. Either way, this time around, it couldn't have come in a worse spot for the Mets. In their rival's home ballpark, while losing their seventh straight game.
Their winning start to the season was followed by a slow death march, with the lack of team chemistry being at the forefront. Heyman also notes that the Mets lacked leadership. Juan Soto added to the confusion by identifying Starling Marte as the team captain, not Lindor, who was considered the best fit before.
“[Marte] is literally the leader of this team — I feel like he’s actually the captain of this team,” Soto said, per Heyman. “He’s bringing everybody together. He’s bringing the energy that we need. He’s a guy who has been stepping up every single time, it doesn’t matter what.”
The Mets played just 38-49 (a 43.68 percent win rate) from June 20 on, the seventh-worst record in MLB. The Mets fought back when they swept the Phillies at Citi Field in August, but were swept immediately after in four games from Sept. 8-11 at Citizens Bank Park, their final series against the Phillies. The Mets missed the playoffs altogether, paying out $341 million in payroll for a total of 83 wins.
The Phillies may not have directly affected the Mets' clubhouse, but they were able to help expose the turmoil and internal conflict that had been brewing. It just took them embarrassing themselves over months of baseball to show how flawed they really were.
Even signing Soto to $765 million couldn't settle the clubhouse issues. Phillies fans should be grateful that their team hasn't faced these issues even during the slow starts they've had in the past.