NEW YORK \u2014 The Mets, en route to Game 1 of the Subway Series, got stuck in traffic.<\/p>\n
Even with a police escort, it took the team bus around 80 minutes to inch the 10 miles between Citi Field and Yankee Stadium. More than $1 billion in ballplayers, crawling through Friday afternoon gridlock, headed to the most anticipated game of their season so far<\/a>.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Such is life in the Big Apple. Often, money can reroute that reality, overcoming life and the city\u2019s pesky inconveniences. It can skip lines, craft shortcuts and open doors.<\/p>\n That\u2019s what Mets owner Steve Cohen has done, using his billions to usher in a new era of Mets baseball. A lifelong fan of the club, Cohen has transformed his organization into one of the game\u2019s best. Signing Juan Soto away from the crosstown Yankees over the winter for $765 million was a flag in the ground, a loud reminder that the Mets have aspirations of one day chipping into the Yankees\u2019 cultural dominance in the Big Apple.<\/p>\n But that project, given baseball\u2019s beautiful unpredictability, will take time. This sport doesn\u2019t always reward the largest wallet. Sometimes, there is a limit to what cash can do, as evidenced by what happened to the Mets this weekend.<\/p>\n Soto, the centerpiece of Cohen\u2019s vision, was cast as the main character of this Subway Series<\/a>. After spurning the Yankees last winter, Soto was treated to a hailstorm of boos<\/a> each time he strolled to the plate over the weekend. The vitriol was as loud as it was expected.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n But when the dust settled, the jilted pinstripe faithful had much to cheer about. That was thanks, in large part, to Soto\u2019s direct replacements. Back in December, after Soto shocked the industry by joining the Mets, Yankees GM Brian Cashman and his front office commenced Plan B. Cashman and Co. traded for Cody Bellinger, signed Max Fried and traded for Devin Williams in less than a week. On Dec. 30, Paul Goldschmidt joined on a free-agent deal as well.<\/p>\n That quartet, that Great Bronx Pivot, propelled the Yankees to a thrilling Subway Series win on Sunday<\/a>. Fried, the early AL Cy Young favorite, posted six strong innings. Williams, whose early struggles led to his removal from the closer role<\/a>, tossed a perfect top of the eighth. In the bottom, after a wayward Pete Alonso throw gave the Yanks the lead, Goldschmidt laced an RBI single to pad it.<\/p>\n That\u2019s when Bellinger delivered the knockout blow; a lofting, star-tickling, pandemonium-inducing Subway Series-clinching grand slam over the right-field fence. Soto gave it a courtesy leap at the wall, but the ball \u2014 and the moment \u2014 sailed just beyond his reach.<\/p>\n It was a fitting kicker to a hyped, high-energy series between two of baseball\u2019s best teams<\/a>. The games themselves lacked a certain crispness, but the atmosphere and the drama most certainly delivered.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cI think these games along the way that are, quote-unquote, a little bigger, or feel a little bigger, are good experiences for our guys as you go into bigger games as the season unfolds, or certainly, if you get a chance to play in October,\u201d Yankees skipper Aaron Boone said before Sunday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n As the Yankees showered, dressed and filed out of the locker room after Sunday\u2019s win, 50 Cent\u2019s \u201cI Get Money\u201d happened to come on the team\u2019s postgame playlist. As the tune oozed from the clubhouse speakers, no players sang along to the background noise or even seemed to notice. Still, the convenient symbolism of the moment fit perfectly: \u201cI run New York.\u201d<\/p>\n They still do, at least for now.<\/p>\n Here are three other takeaways from the weekend\u2019s series.<\/p>\n The Mets\u2019 pitching prowess is no fluke, but …<\/p>\n In spring training, questions swirled about whether the big-money Mets had done enough to bolster their pitching staff. President of baseball operations David Stearns spent ample time in the hopeful Florida air warding off inquiries about what appeared to be an undermanned rotation. Those concerns only grew after Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas hit the IL.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n But almost eight weeks into the season, the Queens staff leads baseball in ERA, FIP, SLG and, most importantly, home run rate. The club\u2019s pitching development apparatus, led by big-league pitching coach Jeremy Hefner and director of pitching Eric Jagers, has done a superb job. That magnificence was on display again against the Yankees, with offseason reclamation project Griffin Canning and lean lefty David Peterson both turning in quality starts.<\/p>\n However, one blip is emerging: Tylor Megill had his worst start of the year in the Subway Series opener, in which a cataclysmic third inning derailed his evening.<\/p>\n At this point, the gigantic righty certainly qualifies as the rotation\u2019s weakest link. Most teams, including the Yankees, would love to have a No. 5 starter like Megill, but barring injury, he\u2019s the likeliest candidate to move to the Mets\u2019 bullpen when Montas or Manaea gets back at some point in June.<\/p>\n There was no big moment for Soto<\/p>\n The star of the show didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Soto, the boo vortex, the main character, failed to craft a signature moment this weekend. In his highly anticipated return to the Bronx, Soto turned in a relatively lackluster performance, going 1-for-10 with 3 walks. On the surface, he didn\u2019t appear fazed by any of the hubbub. If he was feeling any frustration or disappointment or discomfort, he didn\u2019t show it.<\/p>\n But at the plate, where Soto makes his millions, he looked sluggish, out of sorts. Known for his in-box intensity and swagger, Soto was decidedly subdued. Besides a few hard-hit outs, he didn\u2019t feel dangerous. His trademark unrelenting focus on every pitch seemed absent.<\/p>\n From here, things won\u2019t get much easier for the four-time All-Star. The Mets begin a series in Boston on Monday<\/a>, in front of another fan base that might feel somewhat slighted by Soto\u2019s free agency.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Judge has his quietest series of season<\/p>\n