Tonight’s the night for New York bragging rights!
Yankee fans were showing pinstripe pride yesterday after the Bronx Bombers blew away the Mets 13-5 at the House that Ruth Built – evening up the Battle for the Big Apple at a game apiece and setting the stage for a decisive Game 3 tonight.
“We killed the Mets today! We showed them who’s No. 1,” said bragging Bomber backer Stuart Horowitz, 46, of Huntington, L.I.
The teacher said Amazin’ fans who went to Yankee Stadium for the game deserved to feel like No. 2 after crowing about taking the first game of the series 12-2.
“The Met fans were all cocky after [Friday] night’s win, so it’s great to shut them up and send them back down to earth,” Horowitz said.
Yvette Garcia predicted the Met meltdown would continue tonight, when the struggling David Cone will take on Amazin’ ace Mike Hampton.
“We’re the World Champions. We’re so fabulous, we can’t be stopped,” she said with a smile. “There’s nothing I like better than beating the Mets.”
The Yankees were trailing the Mets 5-3 in the fifth inning when they rallied against pitcher Bobby Jones and blew the game open behind home runs from Paul O’Neill and Jorge Posada.
“This was incredible! It was a dream come true” to watch the Yankees wipe the field with the Mets, said Fran Aguila, who came in from Belmar, N.J. for the game. “Posada was so amazing. He won the game for us.”
Met fans shrugged off the lopsided loss.
“They really whipped us bad, but we’ll come back and do the same to them [tonight],” said Steven Francesi of Long Island.
“There’s nothing to worry about. The Yanks got lucky,” said Larry Williams, a 23-year-old student from Staten Island.
“We’ll get the Yanks. We’re the better team,” shared Sharon DiStefano, 33, an investment planner from Queens. “We’ve got the better pitching and the better hitting – and Mike Piazza, who’s so cute!”
But Yankee fan Kareem Lawson said tonight’s game doesn’t matter – he’s bragging now.
“Met fans should keep their mouths shut,” the 19-year-old Manhattanite chided. “They haven’t won anything. When the Mets win three World Series in the last four years, then they can talk, but until then, they have no business.”