QUEENS, NY — The New York Mets had stormed back twice. They knew their 6–5 lead in the top of the ninth inning wasn’t safe. Not with Aaron Judge waiting in the wings.
For a moment, it looked like the New York Yankees would add yet another plot twist to Friday’s back-and-forth Subway Series opener. They had one out in the top of the ninth inning. If they could get a runner on base, they’d bring Judge, who had already homered once on Friday afternoon, to the plate. DJ LeMahieu connected with a sinker and hit a sharp liner that appeared destined for a base hit — until Jeff McNeil dove to stop the ball.
Offensively and defensively, McNeil put the Mets on his back Friday. In the bottom of the seventh inning, and with his club down 5–4, he hit a Luke Weaver changeup into the second level of Citi Field’s right field seats. McNeil, who at that point was 0-for-2 on the afternoon with a hit-by-pitch and in his career was 0–3 against Weaver, turned the game in the Mets’ favor. In the top of the ninth and on the other side of the ball, he finished the game with outstanding defense.
“He’s a gamer, man,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He’s always ready to go. He’s always available and willing to do whatever it takes. We’ve seen it the way we’ve been using him: center field, second, doesn’t play at times against a lefty, is ready to come off the bench, he’s ready to go.
“He’s a guy that’s been in this league for a long time, has success, obviously, and he’s a pretty important player for this roster, so I’m glad that he continues to show up, he continues to prepare, and you know, another good game for him today on both sides, offensively and defensively.”
Impressive, and important for the Mets, who have now won three straight games. Both New York teams entered Friday badly needing wins. The Mets were coming off a series win over the Milwaukee Brewers, having taken the last two games, but have struggled in recent weeks. Before the two wins against the Brewers, they had dropped 14 of their previous 17 games.
The Yankees, meanwhile, dropped their fifth straight game on Friday. They had just been swept on the road by the Toronto Blue Jays, which cost the Yankees their status as the American League East division leader. They’d dropped 14 of their last 20 games entering the Subway Series.
Yet, Yankees manager Aaron Boone insisted that his club was the “best team in the league.”
At this point of the regular season, the stakes couldn’t be any higher.
Boone’s message aged well through the top of the first inning. The ball flew early on Friday, as Mets right-hander Justin Hagenman made his first career start, becoming the fifth Mets pitcher to do so against the Yankees.
In the first at-bat of the game, Jasson Domínguez worked Hagenman to a full count, then hit a lead-off home run off a sinker to left-center, much to the delight of the Yankees’ faithful in attendance. This was Domínguez’s fourth career lead-off homer. Judge, batting second, immediately followed up with another solo home run to left-center off a sinker. This was Judge’s 32nd long ball of the season — he trails only the Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh, who has 35 home runs.
The Mets responded quickly. Juan Soto hit a two-run home run to left field in the bottom of the first, scoring Brandon Nimmo who had led off with a double. Soto added a double in the third inning — he later scored on a Pete Alonso base hit — and hit a single in the fifth.
Citi Field, backed by 41,216 strong, was loud. Chants of “Let’s Go Mets!” mixed with “Let’s Go Yankees!” echoed throughout the game. Francisco Lindor called time before his first at bat as the fans sang “My Girl” by The Temptations. Juan Soto got a mix of cheers and boos — depending on who you support — in his first at-bat. The Mets’ faithful chanted Pete Alonso’s name.
The big players showed up. The game was decided by one run. Each side took the lead twice. It was exactly the atmosphere one would expect out of the Subway Series this year.
And the drama of a late-game rally topped it off.
Alonso had reached base on a walk with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, bringing up McNeil. He worked Weaver to a full count with a fastball. He felt that he might get something offspeed. He called Weaver’s changeup his best pitch.
“I was expecting something down,” he said. “Started out of the hand, threw the barrel at the ball, and it went over.”
“Pretty impressive,” Mendoza said. “To be able to hit that homer right there against a pretty good, pretty neat arm on Weaver, to take the lead. You got to give credit to Pete Alonso getting on base there after getting a three-one, you know, ball that was, you know, it looked a ball from the dugout.
“For him to lay off that change up, I think it was to get on base and give Jeff a chance. And then for him, just staying in there, controlling the strike zone, getting on a hitter’s count and finally getting a pitch for him to drive it.”
McNeil clasped his hands behind his back and yelled as he ran down the first base line. Citi Field roared behind him.
“It was a lot of fun,” McNeil said. They’re a good team over there, and was able to get a pitch and drive it. I feel like I don’t hit that many home runs in that situation, so to be able to do it … I enjoyed that one.”
“It’s very exciting to see a guy like that,” Soto said. “You know, he grinds every day to come work. Every day, he gives his 100%. I feel like it’s great to see when he gets some results and give the team a lead.”
On the penultimate play of the game, McNeil made his game-saving stop, preventing the Yankees from bringing Judge to the plate.
The ball was nearly behind him when he got his glove on it. In those situations, McNeil explained, he just tries to throw his glove at the ball and scoop it.
“First part of the play is, try to get a good jump and try to get to the ball,” McNeil said. “When that ball hit my glove, I said, ‘Oh shit, it’s in my glove,’ and then I throw him out.
“I knew Judge was up fourth that inning, and we don’t want him coming to the plate. That’s why I was so excited about that one.”
“That ball gets through, it’s a completely different inning,” Mendoza said.
“That was an unbelievable play,” Reed Garrett said. “Jeff was fired up.”
Though he made two game-saving plays in the span of three innings, McNeil said he enjoyed the home run more out of the two.
“The homer was sick,” he said. “I love hitting homers. I don’t hit that many.”
