The New York Mets (29-17) took game two of the three-game Subway Series against the New York Yankees (26-19), 3-2 on Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.
Francisco Lindor was the hero, as he pushed the winning run across on a sacrifice fly to center field. Luis Torrens worked a walk with one out in the ninth. Luisangel Acuna pinch-ran for the catcher and advanced to second on a single from Brett Baty. Tyrone Taylor loaded the bases with a hit-by-pitch.
DJ LeMahieu showed glimpses of his magical 2020 season where he hit .364, won a batting title and a Silver Slugger award in the shortened season due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In Saturday’s loss, he launched his first home run of the season to the short porch in right field to give the Bronx Bombers a 1-0 lead in the third.
“Some big-time [at-bat’s] today,” said Yankees manager Aaron Boone. “Backside homer, base hit up the middle and then probably his best at-bat ends up in an out. He drills that ball to right center. Really encouraging to see him having those level of at-bats in his first few outings here. He was phenomenal today.”
The 36-year-old later flashed the glove on a ground ball up the middle to end the seventh inning.
“He’s always been a great fielder,” Boone said. “He’s an elite defender.”
It was quite the pitchers duel for the first three innings, until Clarke Schmidt unraveled in the fourth. The Yankees right hander surrendered two runs on three hits and five walks. Schmidt fanned five in six-plus innings.
Those two runs came across to score on an RBI single off the bat of Pete Alonso and a sacrifice fly from Brandon Nimmo.
“Just lost the zone a little bit, he was still pretty efficient,” Boone said. “I thought he still had good stuff and making pitches, but it’s a good offense to navigate … I thought overall it wasn’t perfect, but it was pretty darn effective.”
Griffin Canning toed the rubber for the Mets, as he pitched 5.1 innings and allowed two runs on two solo shots, whiffed four, and allowed seven hits, but just one walk.
Before LeMahaieu ended the seventh frame, Jasson Dominguez and Anthony Volpe relayed the ball in quick succession from left center, as J.C. Escarra slapped on the tag to gun down Baty trying to take a 3-2 lead.
“This was a great baseball game, really was,” Boone said. “You have to play like that, a play at the plate, still a game in the balance there. Really good execution to cut down a run at the plate.”
Cody Bellinger increased his hitting streak to 12 games as he launched a solo shot to right center into the Yankees’ bullpen. The long ball tied the game up 2-2.
The Pinstripes threatened to take the lead in the eighth with two outs in the inning. After Dominguez worked a walk, Volpe doubled to right field, but Luis Rojas threw up the stop sign, setting up runners in scoring position.
Boone elected not to pinch-hit Austin Wells for Escarra, but he ended up walking to load the bases. LeMahieu, who had two hits up to this point, ripped a stinger to right field, but Soto barely had to move for the final out.
The $765 million man struck out in his first at-bat, as the boos quickly changed to cheers, as they roared throughout the Bronx. He went 1-for-4 with a walk.
The rubber match of this three-game battle of the boroughs is on Sunday. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. ET.
