User:SMSpivey/Braves–Mets Rivalry

The Braves-Mets rivalry is a rivalry between two teams in Major League Baseball's National League East, featuring the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves.

Although their first major confrontation occurred in the 1969 National League Championship Series, the rivalry did not become especially heated until the 1990s. During this time period, the Braves became one of the most dominant baseball teams in professional baseball. The rivalry came to a visible head with the John Rocker controversy, where Atlanta pitcher Rocker made a number of derogatory comments about residents of New York City in 1999. This led to a number of incidents of items being thrown at Braves players when visiting the Mets. With the end of the Braves' eleven-season National League East winning streak in 2006, the rivalry hit a cooling period. In 2004, Atlanta power hitter Chipper Jones named his child "Shea" after the Mets' home Shea Stadium, citing his great success and memories of playing there.