While we are used to talking about rivalry week in college football, the MLB has adapted this idea and created rivalry weekend. This upcoming weekend, May 15th-17th, MLB will showcase some of its best rivalries in one action-packed weekend. The hope was that this would provide some excitement early on in the season and catch some national headlines. With so many intriguing matchups, it’s hard to pick one to get excited about. Here are the three matchups to pay attention to.
1. Guardians vs. Reds
The one series that everyone should keep an eye on is the Ohio Cup. Both the Cleveland Guardians and Cincinnati Reds come into this matchup fighting for a spot in the postseason. The Guardians are 24-21 and sit atop the AL Central. Their bullpen has been one of the best in baseball, with a group ERA of 3.95 and a WHIP of 1.28. The Reds are 23-21, and while they are last in the NL Central, they are only 2.5 games back of the last wild card spot. JJ Bleday has been a large reason for this success, as he’s slashed .321/.445/.755 with six home runs, 18 RBIs, and a 229 OPS+. He’s quickly become the best deal of the offseason.
What adds fuel to this rivalry is Terry Francona. He is currently the manager of the Reds and is a major reason the Reds made the playoffs last season. He has been instrumental in the team becoming much more competitive. However, before he was in Cincinnati, he spent 11 seasons in Cleveland. He helped them win over 900 games and made the playoffs six times, winning the pennant in 2016. With Francona being such a big part of both teams’ success, it creates more tension between the two.
2. Cubs vs White Sox
The Crosstown Classic has been a dormant rivalry these past few seasons. With the Chicago White Sox being one of the worst teams in baseball, the Chicago Cubs have won nine of the last 10 meetings. But things are shaping up to be different this year. The White Sox are off to their best start in years. They are 22-21 and are in the second wild card spot in the American League. This is thanks in large part to the play of  Munetaka Murakami. The Cubs are dominant again, having a record of 28-16 and sitting atop the NL Central. They have been great in almost every aspect of the game.
But this rivalry matchup is the perfect test for the White Sox. With how bad they have been over the past few seasons, we do not know how real this start is. We have seen plenty of teams play well in May and fall apart as the season goes along. It is an opportunity for the White Sox to show that this start to the season is for real. For the Cubs, it’s a chance to bring their rivals back to reality. To end their successful run and re-establish themselves as the kings of Chicago.
3. Yankees vs Mets
On paper, this does not seem like a good matchup, but the Subway Series always provides exciting moments. Of course, the rivalry between these two has reached an all-time high since Juan Soto left the New York Yankees to join the New York Mets. Since then, the tension between the two has risen beyond the two teams sharing the city. The Yankees have been one of the best teams in the American League this season. They are first in the AL East wit have record of 27-17. The Mets have struggled and fallen far short of expectations. They are 18-25 and are in the basement of the NL East.
However, the script has flipped over these last 10 games. The Yankees have a record of 4-6 and have not looked like the dominant team they once were. They have also won only one of their last six games. They looked uncompetitive against the Milwaukee Brewers and got beaten up in the final game against the Baltimore Orioles. But the Mets come in on their first hot streak of the season. They are 7-3 in their last ten and have been a different team since they called up AJ Ewing. It should make for a pretty compelling matchup.
Although all of the series this weekend should help deepen their respective rivalry, these three stand out above the rest. They should provide some of the best games and add exciting chapters to these rivalries.
