Mets statistically more likely to win World Series than Yankees?

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.

Barring unexpected and unforeseen occurrences, both New York clubs appear well on their way to playing meaningful baseball past Oct. 5. Somewhat surprisingly, though, one outlet believes the Mets have a significantly better chance of winning the World Series than the Yankees this fall. 

As Bridget Hyland explained for NJ Advance Media for NJ.com on Thursday, the latest data offered by FanGraphs claims that the Mets had a 16.6% chance of hoisting the Commissioner's Trophy as of Thursday afternoon. The Yankees, meanwhile, had a 9.2% shot at winning the World Series at that same time. 

The numbers could fluctuate throughout the day. 

Of the two, the Mets are in a much-tighter division race. The first-place Amazins started Thursday with only a one-and-a-half game lead over the second-place Atlanta Braves in the National League East standings, while the Yankees were comfortably atop the American League East with a seven-and-a-half game advantage over the second-place Tampa Bay Rays.