The New York Mets made a statement of intent, in the eyes of some, shortly after last month's All-Star break when they took back-to-back home games against the city rival Yankees. 

Not to be outdone, the Yankees fired back earlier this week by sweeping the Mets over a pair of contests held in the Bronx. 

Coming off those latest matchups, the Mets began Thursday's MLB action sitting at 79-46 and holding a .632 winning percentage. The Yankees, meanwhile, were at 76-48 with a winning percentage of .613.