The ultimate hit on Wednesday night time bounced into the glove of Aaron Hicks, and naturally he didn’t need it. Hicks, the Yankees’ left fielder, gathered Starling Marte’s game-winning single, held it for some time after which flung it apart like a bit of gum. A ball boy retrieved it and tossed it into the group at Citi Area. Trash for the Yankees, treasure for the followers.
The Mets’ 3-2 victory gave them a two-game sweep of the Yankees within the first Subway Sequence since 2015 wherein each groups have been holding first place of their divisions. They may meet for 2 extra video games subsequent month within the Bronx, and perhaps once more within the fall.
“Oh, that’d be nice,” stated the Mets’ Pete Alonso, who hit his twenty sixth homer on Wednesday. “If we’re enjoying towards one another in November, that’d be superior.”
Alonso stated he knew the Mets and the Yankees had met within the World Sequence a very long time in the past — a blow to these of us who keep in mind it properly, however correct from his perspective. The Polar Bear was only a cub in October 2000, solely 5 years outdated when the Yankees danced on the garden at Shea Stadium after successful their third title in a row.
There was no celebration for the guests in Flushing this time.
The Yankees have misplaced 10 of their final 15 video games, together with a street doubleheader final week to the Houston Astros, who thumped them within the season collection, 5 video games to 2. These outcomes pierced the Yankees’ aura, maybe, however not their confidence. They’d prefer to remind you that they’re nonetheless baseball’s finest crew, at 66-33 earlier than Thursday’s recreation with Kansas Metropolis.
“We’re unfazed,” Supervisor Aaron Boone stated. “We all know the place we’re going.”
Boone was feisty after Wednesday’s loss, disputing the notion that the Yankees’ lineup has too many energy hitters susceptible to placing out. It was “pretend information,” he claimed — can’t we bury that time period already? — however acknowledged that it certain was good to have a brand new outfielder, Andrew Benintendi, who makes loads of contact and leads the American League in singles.
“We’ve obtained savages within the lineup, actually good hitters,” Boone stated. “Benintendi’s an incredible hitter — will get on base at a very excessive clip, hits from the left facet, offers you some steadiness. If we get him, that’s one other actually good big-league hitter so as to add to the combo that’s going to elongate out your lineup.”
Boone spoke simply earlier than the commerce grew to become official: Benintendi to the Yankees, three Class A pitchers to the Royals. A Gold Glove left fielder final season, Benintendi was hitting .320 with a .387 on-base proportion and three house runs for Kansas Metropolis. Benintendi, 28, helped the Boston Pink Sox win the 2018 championship, batting second in all of their World Sequence victories.
“Bat-to-ball abilities, velocity, all the time works a very good at-bat — and when you’re not too cautious, man, he can depart the yard on you,” stated the Yankees’ Aaron Decide. “I’ve seen it many occasions at Yankee Stadium. Only a well-rounded participant, that’s for certain.”
Benintendi, who has seven profession homers in 30 video games at Yankee Stadium, is mainly the antithesis of Joey Gallo, the outfielder who has hit .160 with 191 strikeouts in 418 at-bats since his commerce from Texas final July. Gallo’s 25 homers haven’t been sufficient to offset all of the empty at-bats.
The Yankees produce other urgent points: reliever Michael King had season-ending elbow surgical procedure this week, the starter Luis Severino has been shut down for nearly two weeks with a proper lat pressure and the slugger Giancarlo Stanton is out with a left Achilles’ damage. This season, it seems, is just not as charmed because it appeared for the primary three months.
“We all know we’re actually good, and we all know we’re going to hit a snag within the season,” Boone stated. “We’re geared up for it. We’re able to cope with it. We truly embrace just a little little bit of adversity. We’ll energy our manner by way of it, no query in my thoughts.”
With an 11½-game lead within the A.L. East by way of Wednesday, the Yankees have cause to be comfy. The Mets lead Atlanta by solely three video games within the Nationwide League East — however they, too, are hoping to learn from adversity in time.
Max Scherzer, who turned 38 on Wednesday, missed greater than a month with a strained left indirect muscle; if he’s at his finest in October, the compelled relaxation could have been value it. He has returned as an ace in full this month, with a 1.39 earned run common in 5 begins, passing Bob Gibson on the profession strikeout checklist alongside the best way.
Scherzer retired Decide 4 occasions on Wednesday, thrice with third-strike sliders that Decide anticipated however couldn’t deal with.
“The primary at-bat, I used to be all around the heater,” stated Decide, who lined out to proper. “I used to be sort of sitting on the slider the remainder of the sport, and generally when that occurs, you increase the zone just a little bit.”
The Mets’ different multi-time Cy Younger Award winner, Jacob deGrom, additionally pitched on Wednesday, working 4 innings for Class AAA Syracuse. DeGrom, who has handled a stress response on his proper scapula, has not pitched within the majors in additional than a yr. The day without work, in idea, might make deGrom at his strongest when it issues most, although the Mets can’t be sure.
“While you pitch on the degree he’s pitched at, I don’t know,” Supervisor Buck Showalter stated. “I can’t sit right here and say that I do know. However it will likely be enjoyable to seek out out.”
Showalter stated the Mets hoped to activate deGrom from the injured checklist early subsequent week — proper across the Aug. 2 buying and selling deadline, because it occurs. There is no such thing as a higher arm the Mets might discover on the open market, and no higher cause for optimism {that a} deep playoff run may very well be of their future.
And in the event that they find yourself in a rematch of that long-ago duel with the Yankees? As Alonso stated: superior, certainly.