"I don't want to say it's just another game ... but it's just another game," Carlos Delgado says.

But the Mets first baseman hasn't been involved in one yet. The Interleague rivalries in which Delgado's teams have been involved have been Blue Jays vs. Expos and Marlins vs. Devil Rays. This will be different.

But the difference is diminishing. Among the current Mets in-uniform personnel, only Willie Randolph knows what it was like the first time the Yankees and Mets played in a regular-season game on June 16, 1997, at Yankee Stadium.

"That was special," Randolph recalls. He was the Yankees' third-base coach then. "That really was a postseason atmosphere. We were so surprised by how many Mets fans were there."

Newsday wrote "The House that Ruth Built was a house divided."

The Yankees fans used their sing-song, "Let's Go Yankees" chant, and then allowed the Mets fans to respond with their quicker and more established, "Let's Go Mets."

Perhaps it will rise to that level again. There's more at stake now for the Mets. They're a better team than they have been since 2000.

"I'd like to think we're more of a challenge now," Tom Glavine said. "We've played competitive games the last two years. Most of them have been good years."

The Yankees swept all six games in 2003. But the Mets won four of six in 2004, the first time they won the season series. The teams won three each last season. The Yankees have won 29 of the 48 games, 13 of 24 at Shea Stadium.

"This series can help us," Cliff Floyd said. "We'll get our focus back. We know the games against them don't count any more in the standings. And that's what we care about most. But you don't want to go through what we did in 2003. That was terrible. ... Hey, I'd like to sweep them at our place one year. Why not this year?"

Pitching matchup
NYM: RHP Jeremi Gonzalez (0-1, 5.40 ERA)
He faced the Yankees four times last season as a member of the Red Sox, pitching 6 1/3 innings and allowing one run. He faced 24 batters, allowed five hits, two for extra bases, and a walk.

NYY: LHP Randy Johnson (5-4, 5.13 ERA)
The Unit has made six starts against the Mets in the last three seasons, struck out 48 and walked four, allowed 11 earned runs 43 2/3 innings and produced merely a 3-2 record.

Player to watch
Where have you gone Joe ... McEwing? Carlos Beltran has the highest career batting average against Johnson among the current Mets -- .455 in 11 at-bats. Each of his five hits against the Unit is a single.

Interleague by the numbers
All-time record verus Yankees: 19-29
All-time club Interleague record: 77-74

On the Internet
MLB.TV
Gameday Audio
• Gameday
• Official game notes

On television
• WB11

On radio
• WFAN 660 AM, WADO 1280 AM (Español)

Up next
• Saturday: Yankees (RHP Mike Mussina, 6-1, 2.56 ERA) at Mets (RHP Pedro Martinez, 5-0, 3.19 ERA), 1:20 p.m. ET
• Sunday: Yankees (RHP Shawn Chacon, 4-1, 5.21 ERA) at Mets (LHP Tom Glavine, 6-2, 2.43 ERA), 8:05 p.m. ET
• Monday: Off-day
• Tuesday: Phillies (RHP Gavin Floyd, 4-2, 5.71 ERA) at Mets (RHP Steve Trachsel, 2-4, 4.33 ERA), 7:10 p.m. ET