Alvarez stayed in the game after his double in the seventh inning. He did not come out to catch in the eighth inning of the Mets’ 7-3 win over the Mariners in the MLB Little League Classic. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Alvarez would return to New York for an MRI. “Right now, we don’t know what we’re dealing with,” Mendoza said.

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred hinted that radical realignment could be coming to the sport, and Mets radio announcer Howie Rose says the American and National Leagues will “cease to exist” as a result.

Sunday's game will be played in front of Little League World Series players at Journey Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field

The Mets won their first series this month, beating the Mariners with improved pitching and a resurgent, balanced offensive performance.

The former New York pitcher re-signed a minor league contract with a team that designated him for assignment last week.

The Yankees and Mets already have one of the better rivalries in MLB due to having a pair of ravenous fan bases loyal to their clubs. And that is just from a couple of series per year. However, playing each other 13 times a year if they were in the same division might make Yankees vs. Mets even bigger than Yankees vs. Red Sox and Mets vs. Braves.

For the Mets on Sunday, their hopes of a late-season sprint into an unforgettable autumn start in the birthplace of Little League.

Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez exited Sunday’s 7-3 win over the Seattle Mariners in the Little League Classic in Williamsport with a right thumb injury. Alvarez will return to New York and undergo an MRI on Monday’s day off.