QUEENS, NY — Justin Hagenman did not only jump out of the frying pan and into the fire, but the baseball gods had to through some extra gasoline on the inferno, too.
The right-handed starting pitcher was forced to make his major league debut out of desperation. His New York Mets’ rotation had been decimated by injuries, with Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, Griffin Canning, Paul Blackburn, and Tylor Megill shelved.
Waiting for the 28-year-old at Citi Field was the New York Yankees in the first game of the holiday weekend’s Subway Series in Queens, and they made his immediate MLB introduction quite a memorable — and difficult — one.
After eight years in the minors, the first man Hagenman faced, Jasson Dominguez, took a full-count sinker the other way into the left-field seats. The second man he faced, Aaron Judge, jumped on that same sinker and smacked his 32nd home run of the season to give the Yankees an immediate 2-0 lead.
It all could have come undone for the debutant, who had to eat innings ahead of an overworked bullpen that, like the rotation, had heavily faltered during a miserable 3-14 stretch that subsided with two straight wins against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night and Thursday.
Instead, Hagenman retired the next nine men he faced in order.
“I like to think that’s one of the things I do pretty well, is kind of keep it level-headed out there and keep it under control,” Hagenman said. “Not the start you’re looking to get off to, but just know that the best pitches are ahead of you. Good hitters hit pitches. You just have to keep going and give the team as much as you can out there. That’s what I’m here for, to give some innings.”
The Mets bats immediately picked him up, too. In the bottom of the first, Juan Soto hit a two-run shot against his former club to tie things up.
Pete Alonso put the hosts up 3-2 with a single that ate up Anthony Volpe in the third.
“You don’t want to get behind too much, so the fact that we came right back was huge,” Hagenman said. “It gives you the confidence to keep going… Stop it here, and you’re still in the game; you still have a chance to win.”
Cody Bellinger got one more on Hagenman, though, leading off the fourth with his 13th home run of the season to tie it at three apiece, but that was as much as they’d get off the latest Mets stopgap, as he was pulled with one out in the fifth.
Reliever Austin Warren immediately gave up a two-run shot to Dominguez, which gave the Yankees a 5-3 lead, but more experienced Mets arm came through when it mattered most.
Huascar Brazoban and Reed Garrett combined to keep the Yankees off the board for the final three innings, which gave the Mets bats enough time to mount their comeback — Brett Baty left the yard to cut it to one in the sixth before Jeff McNeil’s game-winning, two-run shot in the seventh.
“It was fun,” Hagenman said. “It’s literally what you play for. It’s one of the biggest rivalries in all of New York. Try to keep it calm out there, lot of fun, lot of emotion. It was a good time. Keep the team in the game and give them a chance to win.”
