Two groups trending in several instructions of late caught to the script on Tuesday evening.
In a tense Subway Sequence battle that was left as much as the bullpens, Jeff McNeil’s two-run homer off ex-Met Michael Tonkin within the sixth inning proved to be the distinction within the Mets’ 3-2 win over the Yankees in The Bronx.
However the drama got here to a crescendo within the backside of the ninth. After Edwin Diaz pitched two of the earlier three days — together with 28 pitches on Monday evening — the Mets turned to lefty Jake Diekman within the ninth inning with two lefties main off. He acquired Trent Grisham to fly out earlier than strolling Juan Soto on 4 pitches.
The Mets (52-48) had spent many of the evening taking the bat out of Aaron Choose’s fingers, with the Yankees (60-43) failing to make them pay for it. They walked him 3 times on 14 pitches with J.D. Davis hitting behind him after which deliberately walked him in his fourth journey to the plate.
However within the ninth, with the sport on the road, they lastly determined to assault him and Diekman delivered by getting Choose to take a look at a 96 mph fastball dotted on the within edge for strike three earlier than Ben Rice grounded out to finish the sport.
Each groups arrived at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday — the Mets a bit bleary-eyed after arriving from Miami in the midst of the evening — after splitting a four-game sequence out of the All-Star break.
However for the reason that groups final met in late June — a sweep by the Mets — they’d continued to pattern in several instructions, with the Yankees sinking additional right into a 11-21 skid and the Mets gaining steam of their 23-11 climb.
After McNeil’s go-ahead homer within the prime of the sixth — his fourth dwelling run in his final 5 video games — the Yankees acquired one run again within the backside of the body however left the tying run at third base. Anthony Volpe led off with a single and was on second when a scuffling Alex Verdugo went the opposite means for a double to the hole that pulled the Yankees inside 3-2.
Verdugo tagged as much as third on Austin Wells’ flyout however didn’t get the final 90 ft as DJ LeMahieu grounded out to finish the rally.
Luis Gil and Jose Quintana matched one another by throwing 5 innings of one-run ball wherein they each danced round additional bother.
Quintana walked 5 however the one harm in opposition to him got here on Gleyber Torres’ solo dwelling run whereas Gil left the bases loaded in his final inning of labor.
Torres staked the Yankees out to a 1-0 lead within the second inning when he roped the primary pitch he noticed from Quintana into the right-field porch.
After the Mets left runners on second and third within the third inning, they lastly acquired to Gil within the fifth — although maybe not as a lot as they need to have.
McNeil led off with an infield single on a dribbler to 3rd earlier than shifting to second on former Yankees farmhand Luis Torrens’ single via the proper aspect.
Tyrone Taylor then roped a fly ball to left-center discipline that fell on the warning observe simply past the attain of Alex Verdugo.
However McNeil solely acquired just a few steps off of second base whereas ready to see if Verdugo would catch the ball, forcing him to cease at third — and Taylor to accept a protracted single that loaded the bases.
One out later, the Mets tied it up when Gil drilled Francisco Lindor on the left forearm with a 99 mph fastball.
Gil contained the harm to only one run by placing out Brandon Nimmo and getting J.D. Martinez to fly out to complete off his outing.
