NEW YORK – The Queens edition of the Subway Series between the New York Mets and the New York Yankees included all the off-field gimmicks and silly jokes that were absent back in May when this matchup took place in the corporate setting of Yankee Stadium.
There was the Citi Field mascot known as the “Bronx Giraffe,” wearing a stained and grimy white t-shirt, shown locked away behind bars. The jumbotron in between innings put a Snapchat filter over Yankees fans’ faces and warped their expressions to show them crying. Then they superimposed a blue and orange Mets hat over anyone that was wearing a Yankees cap. A Yankees fan was shown deciding the Citi Field ballpark experience was better than the one in the Bronx, so he traded his allegiances and became a Mets fan.
These gimmicks poking fun at the Yankees could only be appreciated if the Mets did their part on the field. Otherwise, all of that intentional trolling would have no leg to stand on. But Mets players outperformed their marketing team by pushing the Yankees to the brink of being swept. The Yankees wiggled out of that humiliation by winning the series finale behind ace Max Fried and snapping their six-game losing streak on Sunday.
In the end, the fun and games were for the fans. The Mets took care of business. Here are three takeaways from their series win over the Yankees in Queens.
Brandon Nimmo’s grand slam capped off a big win over Yankees on Saturday. (Photo by Evan Yu/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Mets Get Bragging Rights And Stay On Track
It cannot be emphasized enough just how badly the Mets needed this Subway Series to go their way. Not only did it cap a successful homestand (5-1), but they got back on the right track after weeks of mediocre performances from both sides of the ball. Any time the Yankees had an advantage, the Mets applied pressure and clawed back to make it close. They pushed the Yankees all weekend, making sure no lead was comfortable while the sold-out crowds did their best to get the Bronx Bombers off kilter.
Yankees vs. Mets Highlights | MLB on FOX
In Friday’s win, the Mets came from behind after a back-and-forth battle with the Yankees, relying on Juan Soto to start the proceedings with a game-tying home run before Jeff McNeil crushed a go-ahead two-run shot to the second deck in right field. In Saturday’s win, the Mets outscored the Yankees 12-6 as Brandon Nimmo slugged his second grand slam in four days and Pete Alonso belted two home runs. The Polar Bear, who already has more hits with runners in scoring position than he did all of last year, is just seven homers away from passing Darryl Strawberry for the Mets’ all-time home run record.
Pete Alonso is in pursuit of Daryl Strawberry’s club record for most home runs. (Photo by Evan Yu/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
And then even in Sunday’s loss, the Mets came back from a 5-0 deficit, forced Fried out of the game after five innings, and made it a one-run game by the sixth inning before the Yankees hung on to win, 6-4.
“I honestly felt like we were never out of the game,” shortstop Francisco Lindor said on Sunday. “Fried threw the ball very well, but to have him go only five, that’s huge. It was very encouraging. Good series and good homestand.”
The Yankees narrowly avoided being swept by their crosstown rivals and finally notched their first win since last Sunday against the Athletics. Overall, the Subway Series was split, with each club winning three games a piece this season. If the Mets and Yankees meet again in 2025, it will be in the Fall Classic. So bragging rights, for now, are on hold.
Sloppy Yankees Sharpen Up On Sunday
The Bombers hurt themselves plenty throughout their six-game losing streak that was snapped on Sunday, but no afternoon was more miserable than Saturday’s loss as the defensive miscues piled up for New York. Jazz Chisholm, playing third base, air-mailed a throw to first which led a run to score in the second. Later in the seventh inning, Trent Grisham booted a ball in center field, which allowed Ronny Mauricio to score on a Lindor single.
Although this didn’t impact the result of the game, the most apt metaphor for how things were going for the struggling club was when Aaron Judge ran off the field bloodied after an errant Anthony Volpe throw hit the Yankee captain near his eye as he was running in from right field. Judge apparently wasn’t expecting the throw, and he wound up wearing a bandage on the cut for the rest of the game. As if the pain of two six-game losing streaks in 22 days and suffering eighteen losses in 27 games to drop three games behind the first-place Blue Jays wasn’t enough of a free fall, the best player in baseball came this close to sustaining a serious injury from his own teammate.
“Hopefully, as trite as it sounds, as corny, these are the moments that build character within a team,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said on Saturday. “And also help find out and define what the heck you need moving forward.”
Yankees vs. Mets Highlights | MLB on FOX
The defense finally turned around on Sunday and became the main reason the Yankees won the series finale. The Mets were building another rally in the sixth inning when Starling Marte, who was 3-for-3 at the plate, sent a ball into shallow right field. Judge came in for the diving catch and ended the inning and the Mets’ threat. But the best play of the day, and so far this season for the Yankees, came in the seventh inning. Soto hit a sharp fly ball to left and Cody Bellinger just got his glove underneath it enough to make the catch before throwing a dart to first base and doubling up Lindor.
Just like that, there were two outs in the inning and the Mets’ momentum came to a crashing halt. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza called Bellinger’s catch and heads-up throw the play of the game. Then Paul Goldschmidt made a pair of spectacular plays at first base to stymie the Mets and secure the win. It was night and day from the sloppy defense the Yankees displayed in the first two games of the series.
“He’s the one guy I don’t worry about telling him where he’s playing,” Boone said of Bellinger. “That’s the first conversation we had this winter. He said to me, ‘Don’t worry about where you play me every day. If I haven’t played there in a while, I love it. I don’t care.’ And that’s what he portrays.”
Is is time to be worried about Aaron Judge, Yankees after recent skid? | MLB on FOX
Pitching Help On The Horizon?
Justin Hagenman? Frankie Montas? Chris Devenski bullpen game? The Mets threw all these unheralded pitchers on the mound and still managed to outperform the Yankees for the majority of the weekend. Just as their luck is finally beginning to change, the Mets are on the verge of getting back key starting pitchers from the injured list.
Sean Manaea, who has not yet pitched this season, is on the brink of joining the Mets rotation after completing his rehab from elbow and oblique injuries. He has one more scheduled rehab start on Tuesday, and then it’s possible he makes his season debut against the Kansas City Royals, just before the All-Star break next week. Kodai Senga is also close to rejoining the starting pitching staff, which will likely take place in Kansas City. The Mets are hoping their 3-14 skid from the middle of June to July was the lowest point of their season.
Kodai Senga is rehabbing his way back and will be a welcome addition back to the Mets’ rotation. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
After Mendoza and the Mets front office navigated multiple injury hits to the rotation, help is finally on the way. But their next challenge is winning away from home.
The Mets have the best home record (33-14) in the majors, so it was no surprise that they added two more series wins this past week, first against Milwaukee and then against the Yankees. But this was their final homestand before the All-Star break, so they’ll have to find a way to win on the road to finish out the first half of the season strong as president of baseball operations David Stearns assesses what they need before the July 31 trade deadline.
“It is very important to play well on the road because if we want to accomplish what we’re trying to play for, which is a championship, you have to play well on the road,” Lindor said. “You can’t just win at the house. It’s great. But you have to win games on the road. Everybody here understands that.”
Deesha Thosar covers Major League Baseball as a reporter and columnist for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.
Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
