Mets, Yankees threatening to make unfortunate history in New York

Jayson Stark of The Athletic noted that the Bronx Bombers have finished in last place just twice since their cross-city rivals were formed in 1962.

The Yankees were cellar dwellers in the 10-team American League during the 1966 season, finishing a half-game behind the Boston Red Sox, and came in last in the seven-team AL East in 1990. The Mets barely avoided last place in 1966, placing ninth in the 10-team National League, and were the runner-up in the six-team NL East in 1990.

The team from Queens, meanwhile, has brought up the rear 12 times in their 62 years of existence, though only two of the occasions have come since the turn of the millennium. The Mets finished in last place in the five-team NL East in back-to-back campaigns in 2002 and 2003.

Per Stark's report, the stretch of avoiding ultimate futility in the Big Apple even expands to the other major sports, as no two New York teams have finished in last place in the same season.

With the NBA's Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks sharing the same division, fans don't have to worry about that possibility on the hardwood. In the NHL, even though the New York Islanders and New York Rangers are in the Metropolitan Division together, the Buffalo Sabres are in the Atlantic, giving the pair of last-place finishes a chance. The NFL's Buffalo Bills and New York Jets are in the same division, and both have playoff (and perhaps Super Bowl) aspirations in 2023, while the NFC East's New York Giants are coming off of a playoff season in 2022.

The Mets and Yankees may have virtually no shot at playing meaningful games in October this year, but avoiding last place is still very much on the table.