Baseball is a long, grueling marathon. 162 games. Most of them blend together into a blur of pine tar and sunflower seeds. But whenever you see the Mets vs Cincinnati Reds on the calendar, things just feel different. It’s not a historic rivalry like the Yankees and Red Sox. It’s not a geographic blood feud. It is, however, a matchup that consistently produces some of the most bizarre, high-stakes, and statistically strange baseball in the National League.
Honestly, if you looked at the 2025 season, you’d see exactly why fans in both Queens and Cincy stay glued to the screen. The Reds actually took the season series 4-2. But that doesn't tell the whole story. Not even close.
That Time Brandon Sproat Almost Threw a No-No
Let’s talk about September 7, 2025. It was supposed to be a standard Sunday afternoon at Great American Ball Park. Brandon Sproat, a 24-year-old right-hander for the Mets, was making his major league debut. Nobody expected a masterpiece.
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He took a no-hitter into the 6th inning.
Think about that. A kid in his first ever big league game, silencing a lineup that includes Elly De La Cruz. He was pumping fastballs at 96 mph. The Reds couldn't touch him. Then, the 6th inning happened. Noelvi Marte broke up the bid with a single, and the floodgates opened. De La Cruz delivered a tiebreaking RBI double, and just like that, the "magic" vanished.
The Reds won 3-2.
Hunter Greene was on the other side of that game, and he was basically a human flamethrower. He tied a season-high with 12 strikeouts. He threw 30 pitches over 100 mph. It was one of those games where you realize how much raw, terrifying talent is sitting on these two rosters. Even though the Mets lost, that game felt like a glimpse into the next decade of this matchup.
Historical Weirdness and The 1973 NLCS
You can't talk about these two teams without mentioning 1973. It’s the "You Gotta Believe" era. The Mets and the Big Red Machine faced off in the NLCS, and it was absolute chaos.
Pete Rose slid hard into second base. Bud Harrelson didn't like it. They fought. Not a "hold me back" baseball fight, but a genuine wrestling match in the dirt. Shea Stadium fans started throwing trash at Rose. It got so bad that the Mets manager, Yogi Berra, and stars like Tom Seaver had to go out to left field to plead with the fans to stop so the game wouldn't be forfeited.
The Mets won that series, by the way.
That specific moment cemented a sort of "underdog vs. juggernaut" dynamic that still exists today. The Reds often have these explosive, high-octane lineups, while the Mets frequently counter with high-priced arms or gritty, "why is this working?" energy.
Stats That Actually Matter
If you’re looking at the head-to-head record, it’s closer than you’d think.
- All-time Record: Cincinnati leads the series roughly 337 to 307.
- 2025 Season: Reds won 4-2.
- The Juan Soto Factor: In the 2025 series, Soto was a menace, hitting his 43rd home run of the year against the Reds in that final September game.
The Elly De La Cruz Problem
For the Mets, playing Cincinnati means dealing with Elly De La Cruz. He’s basically a video game character. You've got a guy who can hit a ball 450 feet and then steal second and third on back-to-back pitches.
During the July 18, 2025 game at Citi Field, the Reds put up 8 runs. De La Cruz was the engine. When he's on base, the Mets' pitchers clearly get twitchy. They start focusing on his lead-off instead of the hitter. It disrupts the entire rhythm of the game.
But the Mets have Francisco Lindor. Lindor is the stabilizer. While the Reds bring the chaos, Lindor brings the professional, Gold Glove-caliber consistency. Watching those two shortstops go at it is worth the price of admission alone.
What to Watch for in 2026
Looking ahead, the Mets vs Cincinnati Reds meet again in June 2026. The series at Great American Ball Park (starting June 15) is going to be a massive test for the Mets' young rotation.
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Watch the pitching matchups. If the Mets throw someone like Christian Scott or Nolan McLean against this Reds lineup, it’s going to be a power-on-power battle. The Reds' stadium is notoriously hitter-friendly. It’s a "small" park where routine fly balls occasionally turn into home runs.
- Monitor the Bullpens: Both teams had late-inning meltdowns in 2025. The Reds’ Tony Santillan emerged as a reliable closer, but the Mets' depth with Edwin Díaz and new additions will be the deciding factor in close one-run games.
- Home Run Derby: Expect at least one game in the 2026 series to end with a combined score of something like 11-10. It’s just how games in Cincinnati tend to go.
- The Stolen Base Game: With the new rules favoring runners, the Reds are going to run. Every. Single. Time. Francisco Alvarez’s arm behind the plate for the Mets will be the most underrated part of the series.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans
If you're betting on these games or just setting your fantasy lineup, keep a few things in mind. First, always lean toward the "Over" when they play in Cincinnati. The air is thin, and the fences are close. Second, look at the splits. Pete Alonso historically hammers the ball in the Midwest.
The Mets vs Cincinnati Reds matchup isn't just another series on the schedule. It's a clash of styles. It's New York's big-budget pressure versus Cincinnati's high-speed youth movement. Whether it’s a rookie almost throwing a no-hitter or a veteran like Juan Soto crushing a 9th-inning homer, these games rarely end without someone talking about them the next morning.
Keep an eye on the June 2026 series. It's early enough in the season to set the tone for the Wild Card race, which, let's be honest, is where both of these teams will likely be fighting for position.