MLB

Yankees ready for Mets ace at his best

Russell Martin is a lot like the rest of his Yankees teammates when it comes to watching their cross-town foes.

“I don’t pay too much attention to what they’re doing,” the Yankees catcher said. “But I know what Johan [Santana] did last time. I made a point of seeing that.”

A no-hitter will do that.

Not surprisingly, Martin came away impressed by the left-hander’s 134-pitch performance when he watched some of the tape.

“I’ve seen him when he was dominant and then when he wasn’t as sharp,” Martin said before the Yankees’ 7-3 loss to the Rays Thursday night in The Bronx. “Against the Cardinals, you could tell he had good command and a really good changeup.”

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To Martin, Santana didn’t look like a pitcher whose shoulder had been surgically repaired.

“With shoulder surgery, it’s rare to come back like that,” Martin said. “I’ve seen a lot of guys not be the same.”

But if anyone was built to beat the odds, according to Martin, it’s Santana.

“If you’re that good for that long, it’s for a reason,” Martin said. “It’s not just about your stuff. You have to know how to pitch and be resilient. That’s what he is.”

Santana’s presence will undoubtedly add spark to a rivalry that has dulled in recent years. But it’s not only the Mets’ ace that changes the dynamic of the series. The Mets’ unexpected success will have an impact, as well.

“You look at both divisions, and where you are can change in three days,” Joe Girardi said of both teams’ position in the standings. “I think that makes it interesting and they have played well.’’

That hasn’t been the case in some recent seasons.

“They’ve had a couple of down years, but they’re playing good ball now, so that adds to it,” Mark Teixeira said. “And with Johan on the mound, it’s going to be electric. He can dominate.”

Santana proved that against St. Louis.

“He can’t get any better,” Teixeira said, before correcting himself. “I guess he could pitch a perfect game. So we’ve got to take advantage of any mistakes he makes because even though he doesn’t throw 95 anymore, he can still be great.”

And Teixeira knows what that can do to a team, since the entire Yankees’ pitching staff seems to have improved since Andy Pettitte joined it.

“We saw it here with Andy and maybe it’s happening over there, too,” Teixeira said. “One guy like that can really make a huge difference.”

Pettitte, a veteran of many Subway Series — including the real one in 2000 — agreed.

“You have to marvel at what he’s doing,” said Pettitte, who will pitch in the finale Sunday. “Especially when he’s not throwing 95-100 [mph] … I never had the stuff Johan did, but when I had surgery, my velocity went down and I had to make adjustments.”

Santana has been able to make them seemingly without missing a beat.

“He’s been one of the best pitchers for a long time,” said Derek Jeter. “But it’s not just him. It seems like a lot of guys are playing well over there.”

But with the Yankees fighting to get to the top of their division, they remain more focused on what they’re doing.

“These next few days will be more interesting for the fans,” Pettitte said. “But our goals don’t change.”