Going into last night's opener of a 2-game Citi Series game with the disgusting Mets and their even more disgusting fans, no Yankee Fan could have been faulted for asking, in the tradition of the old TV game show To Tell the Truth, "Will the real New York Yankees please stand up?" Or wondering if they could.
All the signs for an embarrassment were there. Domingo Germán was starting against Max Scherzer. Giancarlo Stanton still wasn't available. The rest of the Yankee lineup was still mired in a slump. And while the Mets had seen their lead in the National League Eastern Division, as high as 10 1/2 games on June 1, fall to just half a game on July 23, it was back up to 4 games after Sunday's contests.
Besides, since the Yankees had seen their American League Eastern Division lead fall from 15 1/2 games on July 8 to 7 games on Saturday, nobody was noticing that the Mets were doing their usual "Oh, that's right, we're the Mets, and we're supposed to stink and look like idiots while doing it" routine.
Except the starting pitchers flipped the script. In the 1st inning, Scherzer hit Andrew Benintendi with a pitch, gave up a single to Anthony Rizzo, and gave up a sacrifice fly to DJ LeMahieu.
In the 3rd, he gave up a home run to Aaron Judge. This was a case of The Curse of Kay: Broadcaster Michael Kay mentioned an overwhelming stat, in this case that Judge was in the longest home run drought of his career, and the opposite happened. It was Judge's 47th home run of the season, and, even with the drought, he's on pace to tie Roger Maris' real major league record of 61 home runs in a season.
In the 5th, Scherzer gave up a ground-rule double to Isiah Kiner-Falefa, a sacrifice bunt to Marwin
González, and a double to Benintendi. It was 3-0 Yankees.
It was 3-0 Yankees because both starting pitchers had flipped the script: Germán was perfect over the 1st 3 innings, and, through 6 innings, had allowed only 2 baserunners, singles to Brandon Nimmo and James McCann. The sellout crowd of 48,670 was roaring. They seemed to have gotten their Yankees back.
Aaron Boone left Germán in to start the 7th. He struck Francisco Lindor out. Then came a play which reminded every fan of both teams not just of the Yankees' poor play since July 8, but of the infamous Luis Castillo Game of 2009. Pete Alonso popped up. Rookie 2nd baseman Oswaldo Cabrera could have gotten it. Right fielder González could have gotten it. Neither got it: They crashed into each other, and the ball dropped. Given this chance, Daniel Vogelbach hit a home run, and the Mets were within 3-2.
Boone took Germán out, and Ron Marinaccio got out of the inning without further damage, but now, every Yankee Fan watching, in the stands or at home, was nervous: Was this the game that would symbolize the season turning from glory to disaster?
As he already had in this game, Benintendi provided the answer: No. With 1 out in the bottom of the 7th, IKF singled, and when Lindor mishandled the ball, he got to 2nd. After González popped up, failing to redeem himself, Benintendi singled IKF home.
Marinaccio and Jonathan Loáisiga pitched hitless ball the rest of the way. Yankees 4, Mets 2. WP: Germán (2-2). SV: Loáisiga (1). LP: Scherzer (9-3).
To tell the truth, the Yankees needed that win, very badly. It was a reminder that the Yankees should be, if not are, the best team in New York, and the best team in baseball.
The brief series concludes tonight. Frankie Montas starts against Tajuan Walker. Come on you Pinstripes!
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