ST. PETERSBURG -- Darrell Rasner's year ended in an instant, his hopes for a lengthy and productive '07 campaign shattered along with his right index finger before New York's biggest and loudest baseball audience -- in the Subway Series.

As the right-hander walked off the field against the Mets, looming surgery the only certainty in his future, he moved toward a lengthy rehab process with plenty of time to ponder. Over and over, as Rasner watched the Yankees continue on to the playoffs without him, his 3-year-old son Evan kept running through his thoughts.

"I want my son to see me play," Rasner said. "I want him to remember seeing me play. I think that would just be so cool as a kid. I remember how big a fan I was of baseball as a kid, and I would love for him to be able to see that.

"That was a lot of it. I know I can pitch here as long as I stay healthy. You see these guys you've played with, and they're playing, but you're not. That gets at you too. I knew if I stayed positive the whole time, I saw myself being back and being successful. It hasn't caught me off guard."

Rasner will have a chance to come full circle on Friday as the Yankees and Mets meet under the lights for the 12th annual installment of the Subway Series. There once again is change between the interborough rivals, with Joe Girardi now calling the shots in the Bronx and new ace Johan Santana manning the rotation in Queens.

The series has come a long way since the evening of June 16, 1997, when the Mets paid their first visit to the House that Ruth Built. The night is best remembered for Dave Mlicki's gem in a 6-0 Mets win, but Girardi went 3-for-4 while catching for the Bombers and remembers just how much energy and passion there was -- not just in the sold-out building, but throughout the city streets as well.

"Being a [former] player, I understand how important it is to the city," Girardi said. "It's amazing to me. It's kind of like a playoff atmosphere to me, because of the senses of all the fans.

"When you're walking someplace, whether they're a Mets fan or a Yankees fan, there's a lot more responses. I think it's enjoyable and I think it's great for the game."

More immediately, the Yankees are in need of something to spark their stagnant offense, which managed just two runs off Rays starting pitchers in a four-game series at Tropicana Field, completing a 2-4 road trip.

The Yankees lineup looks a little different without Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada, but New York's starting pitching has been above-average of late, providing hope for a good return home.

"You definitely want to have bragging rights in your city," Johnny Damon said. "Every game we play we've got to go out and play like it's the Mets series or a Red Sox series. Shame on us if we can't get up. We need to come ready to play against any team, rivalry or no rivalry."

Maybe a packed house at Yankee Stadium will help. The pitching matchup carries some additional cache because it is Santana on the Mets side, the Hank Steinbrenner heartthrob who could have wound up in pinstripes -- if only the Yankees had been willing to surrender right-hander Phil Hughes and outfielder Melky Cabrera at the Winter Meetings in Nashville.

Though Steinbrenner made no secret of his desire to put Santana atop the Yankees' rotation, he would wind up in Flushing as the Bombers opted to keep their young talent close to the vest. Should he pitch well, it will no doubt prompt a comment or eight from Steinbrenner, who has already spoken up this week to critique his club's energy.

"Of course we would have wanted to get [Santana]," Damon said, "but we were hoping he'd become a free agent and we wouldn't lose our center fielder and a guy who would possibly be a great pitcher in Hughes.

"Having Santana and [Chien-Ming] Wang one-two would have been great, but we would have had to risk Melky, who can be our center fielder for a number of years, and Hughes, who could compete for a Cy Young year in and year out."

The series will also mark the Yankee Stadium return of Mets manager Willie Randolph, who expertly manned second base in the Bronx for so many years during his successful playing career. Barring a reprise of the 2000 World Series, it will be Randolph's final trip to the Bronx before the Yankees move into their new $1.3 billion facility across the street.

"I remember as a kid going before they renovated it," Randolph said. "I still have memories of the old stadium and the monuments out there in left-center field. But you've been there so many times, that you almost forget about the old stadium.

"This is what you know about Yankee Stadium. I have mixed feelings about it. It is old and there probably needs to be a new Yankee Stadium there, but I'll still always hold onto the Yankee Stadium that I grew up in, and know and love."

Interleague by the numbers:
113-79 overall, 10-8 in 2007

Record vs. Mets:
35-25, 3-3 in 2007

All-time Yankees Interleague records:
• Batting average: Derek Jeter, .381
• Home runs: Jeter, 11
• RBIs: Jeter, 31
• Wins: Andy Pettitte, 7
• ERA: Pettitte, 3.42

2008 Interleague schedule
• May 16-18: at Astros
• June 13-15: at Astros
• June 17-19: vs. Padres
• June 20-22: vs. Reds
• June 24-26: at Pirates
• June 27-29: at Mets

Pitching matchup
NYY: RHP Darrell Rasner (2-0, 3.00 ERA)
Rasner will get the ball for his third start on Friday against the Mets, pitching on an extra day of rest. Rasner was sharp in his last start, on Saturday at Detroit, allowing a first-inning homer to Matt Joyce but otherwise spinning six-plus solid innings of two-run ball. Rasner abandoned his changeup in the first inning but navigated a tough Tigers lineup by mixing his fastball, curve and cutter. His season ended last May in a start against the Mets when Endy Chavez broke Rasner's right index finger with a first-inning comebacker at Shea Stadium.

NYM: LHP Johan Santana (4-2, 3.10 ERA)
Santana allowed 10 hits -- that equaled his career high -- walked one and struck out five in six innings in his most recent start on Saturday against the Reds. Despite allergies that bothered him, he threw 116 pitches. His stuff wasn't sharp, but the Mets won for the sixth time in his eight starts, including his five most recent outings.

Tidbits
The Yankees lead the Major Leagues with an all-time record of 113-79 (.589) in Interleague Play, tied with Oakland for the most wins. They were 10-8 in 2007, their 10th straight season of non-losing Interleague Play after going 5-10 in 1997. ... The Yankees have won nine of 10 vs. the National League at Yankee Stadium dating back to 2006. ... Jeter's 254 Interleague hits are the most of all-time. ... Mike Mussina's 20 Interleague wins are the most of all-time, as are Mariano Rivera's 51 saves. ... The Empire State Building will light the north and south sides in Yankees blue and white on Friday, while the east and west sides will be lit in Mets blue and orange.

Tickets
 Buy tickets now to catch the game in person.

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

On television
• MY9

On radio
• WCBS 880, WNSW 1430 (Español)

Up next
• Saturday: Yankees (Andy Pettitte, 3-4, 4.40) vs. Mets (Oliver Perez, 3-3, 4.61), 1:05 p.m. ET
• Sunday: Yankees (Chien-Ming Wang, 6-1, 2.90) vs. Mets (John Maine, 5-2, 2.81), 8:05 p.m. ET
• Monday: Off-day