The Yankees’ greatest rival is … the Miami Marlins?
That might seem like a wild take, but the Marlins -- not the Red Sox or Mets or Astros or Dodgers -- play better against the Yankees than any of those teams. In fact, they play better against the Yankees than any MLB team.
With Sunday’s sweep-clinching 7-3 victory over the Yanks, the Marlins are 25-24 all-time versus New York, postseason included. That makes Miami the only MLB team with a winning record against baseball’s 27-time world champions.
The Marlins have won five of their past seven meetings with the Yankees, dating back to Aug. 12, 2023. Their most prominent triumph, of course, came in 2003, when the Marlins knocked off the Bronx Bombers in six games to claim the franchise’s second World Series title.
Here are the top five winning percentages against the Yanks:
1. Marlins: .510
2. Dodgers: .479
3. Nationals: .477
4-T. Tigers: .469
4-T. Cardinals: .469
On the other end of the spectrum, here are the five worst win percentages against the Yankees:
25. Rangers: .412
26. Giants: .409
27-T. Athletics: .404
27-T. Orioles: .404
30. Twins: .401
The Marlins' win on Sunday also got them back to .500 at 55-55. It’s been quite a rapid climb for Miami, which was 16 games under .500 as recently as June 11. The Marlins are now the first team since the 2014 Rays to reach .500 after being at least 16 games under.
Only five teams have accomplished that in the Wild Card Era (since 1995), including the 2006 Marlins.