On a night that carried plenty of weight before the first pitch, the Mets kept scraping and clawing, but the Yankees’ early burst was too much to overcome. New York fell 6-4 at Yankee Stadium on the 25th anniversary of 9/11, with the Mets’ late push coming up just short against their crosstown rivals.
Nolan McLean, who had been riding a run of five straight quality starts, ran into trouble right away. The first three Yankees reached in the bottom of the first on two singles and a walk, and Spencer Jones drove in the opening run with a one-out single. McLean escaped without any further damage, but the inning set the tone.
The Mets answered in the top of the second. Mark Vientos scored on a Christopher Morel groundout to tie the game, but that was the only run Carlos Rodón allowed. After Juan Soto’s third-inning single, the Mets didn’t put another runner on until the seventh.
The Yankees made sure the tie didn’t last long. After McLean got two outs in the second, Anthony Volpe and Ben Rice singled to set up Cody Bellinger, who launched a three-run homer to right-center and pushed the Yankees ahead 4-1.
Ben Rice added to the cushion in the fifth with a solo shot, and McLean’s night was over after five innings. He allowed 10 hits and five runs, walked one and struck out five.
The Mets finally stirred again in the seventh. Carson Benge opened the inning with a one-out single, ending a four-inning stretch without a baserunner, and Rodón’s day was done.
Former Met Paul Blackburn came in first from the Yankees bullpen and immediately walked Marcus Semien. Jared Young then hit a weak grounder for a fielder’s choice that erased Semien at second, but A.J.
Ewing followed with a pulled single over second base to score Benge and make it 5-2. Blackburn then walked Francisco Alvarez to load the bases before being pulled.
Left-hander Brent Headrick entered to face Francisco Lindor from the right side, where Lindor has been much weaker this season. Lindor ran the count full before a long delay caused by an idiot running out on the field. When play resumed, Lindor lined a hard shot up the middle, but Headrick snared it to end the inning.
The Mets got a huge lift from Jack Weisenburger, called up from Syracuse, who worked the sixth and seventh without allowing a baserunner. He struck out both Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge in a sharp outing, another strong showing from the stream of arms the Mets have brought up in the second half.
They kept chipping away in the eighth. After Soto grounded out, Bichette singled and Vientos walked to put two on with one out.
Benge then put together a strong at-bat and drew a walk to load the bases. Yankees closer David Bednar came in looking for a five-out save, or at least to get through the inning.
Semien lifted a deep fly to center that scored Bichette and moved pinch runner Cristian Pache to third, cutting the deficit. Young then lined out to left-center to end the inning, but the Mets had pulled within two.
Weisenburger returned for the eighth and quickly found trouble, allowing singles to Luis García Jr. and Spencer Jones. George Lombard Jr. then laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position, and Ryan McMahon punched a ball in front of Soto to bring home another run. Weisenburger limited the damage to one, but the Mets were back in a three-run hole.
In the ninth, Ewing opened the inning by turning on the first pitch and launching it over the short porch in left to make it a two-run game again. Alvarez struck out soon after, and the Mets’ top of the order had one last chance.
Lindor, batting left-handed for the first time in the game, poked a single between first and second to bring Soto up as the tying run. Bednar went splitter after splitter to Soto, and Soto chopped one into a game-ending 3-6-3 double play.
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Mets Depth Arm Is Forcing A Real Roster Conversation
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What makes him worth watching is the way that pitch has translated to outs at the top level, where opponents have yet to get a hit in nine at-bats against it. Add in his ability to work multiple innings, and the Mets suddenly have a real roster question on their hands about how much value a pitcher like Weisenburger can provide if they need a flexible arm who can miss bats and cover ground. [Read more 🡒]