July 4th weekend Subway Series pits Aaron Judge vs. Juan Soto. Here's how to watch

New York Times

12 hours ago

New York … the city so nice they named it twice, then gave each name a baseball team. One of MLB's most intriguing interleague matchups goes down across the holiday weekend. It's the New York Yankees riding crosstown to the New York Mets; the 'Boogie Down Bronx' and 'Queens Get the Money.' Both sides' recent losing skids give this Subway Series an added urgency.
Our unofficial title of 2025's second Subway Series is 'New York City Gets Riled Up About Juan Soto II: Electric Boogaloo.' Why did 'Electric Boogaloo' become the catch-all phrase for sequels? Apparently, it comes from 'Breakin' 2,' a 1984 breakdance musical starring the titular Michael 'Boogaloo Shrimp' Chambers. In conclusion, we think Soto and Aaron Judge should bust a breakdance battle to determine the rightful King of New York. In lieu of that, a three-game showdown will still have acute tension.
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Soto's former team is having a rough go of it, stumbling to 13-14 in June despite finishing the month with a plus-18 run differential. The Yankees' pitching has imploded to start July, giving up 36 runs in four straight ugly losses to the Toronto Blue Jays. For more encouraging energies, the Yanks do get to roll out their two top-tier lefties this weekend. Max Fried (10–2, 2.13 ERA) and Carlos Rodón (9–5, 2.95 ERA) are both putting together Cy Young candidacies. Also, the transcendent Judge is even better when batting outside Yankee Stadium. He's slugging .744 on the road, compared to .725 at home. The Yankees need everything they can get right now.
Soto's current team is also struggling of late. Since June 13 (Friday the 13th, just flagging), the Mets lost two of three against the Philadelphia Phillies and five of seven versus the Atlanta Braves, falling out of NL East pole positioning as a result. Even wilder, they were swept by both the Tampa Bay Rays and Pittsburgh Pirates. The Mets have a total payroll around $326 million. Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay combine for roughly $178 million.
Ironically, the orange and blue are slumping in spite of Soto's sizzling turnaround. After two dispiriting months to start his Mets tenure, Soto turned out a colossal June: a .322 batting average, .474 OBP and 11 homers in 90 at-bats. The left-handed slugger is limited against fellow lefties, though, and the Fried-Rodón southpaw duo presents an expert-difficulty boss level. Like their opponents, the Mets really need a quick vibe reversal.
Most home runs in both jerseys:
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(Photo of Juan Soto: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)