The New York Mets swept the Subway Series against the New York Yankees with a dominant 12-2 victory on Wednesday night at Citi Field. Francisco Alvarez had a standout performance, going 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs, while Tyrone Taylor contributed a three-run homer. This win marks the Mets’ 15th victory in their last 19 games, bringing their record to 39-39.
Harrison Bader also shone for the Mets, hitting a home run and an RBI double. The Mets chased Yankees rookie pitcher Luis Gil from the mound in the fifth inning, after he allowed five runs, four hits, and four walks over 4 1/3 innings. Over the two-game series, the Mets tallied seven home runs, 21 runs, and 24 hits.
Shortstop Francisco Lindor expressed his delight at the Mets’ performance and the bragging rights that come with a Subway Series win: “As a guy that likes to talk a lot of crap, I think it’s fun,” Lindor said. “I think it’s fun for the barbershop. I think it’s fun for every workplace.”
Despite the win, Lindor emphasized that their mission is not complete: “That’s not the mission, but it does feel good that we are on the right track,” he said. “It’s a beautiful thing when we can all hold each other accountable, and that’s what we’re doing right now.”
The Yankees, leading the AL East, are experiencing a rough patch with four consecutive series losses and defeats in eight of their last ten games. Manager Aaron Boone acknowledged the tough period: “You don’t like getting your teeth kicked in. It’s been a crappy two weeks for us. But it’s part of it. We know it’s coming. Adversity’s going to hit you. We got hit with a little bit right now.”
Aaron Judge provided a highlight for the Yankees with a two-run homer in the sixth inning, following an 87-minute rain delay. The home run, Judge’s 287th, ties him with Bernie Williams for seventh in franchise history. Judge also became one of only three players, along with Mark McGwire and Ken Griffey Jr., to hit 30 homers before the All-Star break three times.
Mets pitcher Sean Manaea (5-3) managed to avoid significant damage despite walking five batters, allowing only two hits in five shutout innings. The Mets’ defense supported him with three double-play grounders in the first four innings. Alvarez’s two-run homer in the third and RBI double in the fifth helped secure the Mets’ lead. He also walked and scored three times, ending the night just a triple short of the cycle.
Mark Vientos contributed two RBIs, and Lindor doubled in his first two at-bats. The Mets have homered in ten straight games, scoring at least ten runs five times in their last 13 games.
Mets rookie manager Carlos Mendoza, previously the Yankees’ bench coach, praised his team’s performance: “It’s a good feeling now,” Mendoza said. “Credit to that group right there. Good players, good coaches, and they’re having fun.”
Adrian Houser pitched three scoreless innings for his first major league save.
Luis Gil, who had a strong start to the season, has now lost two consecutive starts, including a tough outing against Baltimore last week.
Boone remains confident in his team’s ability to bounce back: “No one expects it to be easy. I know you sail through the first couple months and obviously at a level not foreseen, really. You’re going to have bumps along the way. So we’ll kind of rally around him and keep up with him getting better. But he’ll learn from it and grow from it.”
The Mets and Yankees will face each other again for a two-game series on July 23-24 at Yankee Stadium.
Reflecting on the recent success, Lindor said, “It feels good to be playing good baseball, not just the past two nights, but a month I would say. This is what we expect.”
Trainer’s Room
– Yankees: RHP Scott Effross (low back surgery) had his rehab assignment moved from Class A Tampa to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
– Mets: RHP Drew Smith was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right elbow sprain, and RHP Ty Adcock was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse. RHP Kodai Senga (right shoulder capsule strain) is set to throw two innings of live batting practice against minor leaguers Thursday at Citi Field.
Up Next
– Yankees: LHP Carlos Rodón (9-4, 3.86 ERA) will start Thursday night at Toronto against RHP José Berríos (6-6, 3.43) in the opener of a four-game series.
– Mets: After a day off, LHP Jose Quintana (3-5, 4.58 ERA) will face Houston RHP Ronel Blanco (8-2, 2.34) on Friday night at Citi Field.
