Yesterday was the 20th Anniversary of New York City's most traumatic day. It seemed fitting that Major League Baseball allowed the New York Yankees and the New York Mets to play each other on the day. Say what you want about Commissioner Rob Manfred, and his stupid rule changes, but, as we have seen with the Field of Dreams Game earlier this season, and the London Series 2 years earlier, he knows how to get the pageantry right.
The Yankees, having more experience at it than any other sports franchise in the Western Hemisphere, usually manage to get pageantry right, while the Mets frequently blow it. But, last night, at Citi Field in Flushing Meadow, Queens, working together, they got it right with the pregame ceremonies, right down to the ceremonial first balls thrown by the managers from 20 years ago, and from the actual Subway Series the year before that: Joe Torre of the Yankees and Bobby Valentine of the Mets.
Of course, there was a game. Again, Corey Kluber lasted just 4 innings. The difference is, instead of pitching great for 3 innings and falling apart in the 4th, his bad inning was the 2nd, and he simply lasted until the 4th.
He survived that because of the top of the 2nd inning: A single by Gleyber Torres, a lineout by Gio Urshela, a home run by Kyle Higashioka, a groundout by Kluber (an Interleague game in a National League park, so no DH), a single by DJ LeMahieu, a homer by Brett Gardner (#LetGardyBang), and another homer by Aaron Judge, before the inning ended with a groundout by Giancarlo Stanton. 5-0 Yankees.
But the Mets scored 3 in the bottom of the 2nd, Javier Báez hit a home run in the 3rd, and Kluber left with a 5-4 lead. Lucas Luetge pitched a scoreless 5th, but was left in for the 6th. Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you, especially the leadoff variety. He walked Jeff McNeil, and allowed a home run to James McCann. Mets 6, Yankees 5. Five-nil, and we fucked it up.
Clay Holmes allowed another run in the 7th, and it looked like the Mets had done right by their home fans, in spite of the large number of Yankee Fans in attendance. And it looked like the Yankees were following their 13-game winning streak with losing 12 of 14.
Not so fast: Gardner led off the top of the 8th with a single, and Judge crushed a home run. Tie ballgame. That was 4 home runs by the Yankees on the night, and not one of them required the "short porch" of a "little league ballpark," as the Flushing Heathen like to imagine the Yankees do.
It didn't stop there. Stanton singled. Andrew Velazquez was sent in to pinch-run. Anthony Rizzo flied out, but Torres singled. And Luke Voit grounded into what should have been a double play, but it couldn't be completed, resulting in a throwing error that allowed Velazquez to score.
Albert Abreu pitched the 8th, and got the 1st 2 outs, then walked 2 batters, but got the last out. Aroldis Chapman was brought on to preserve a 1-run lead in the bottom of the 9th. Báez hit a sinking liner to right field, but Judge made a great catch. J.D. Davis hit one down the right-field line, and Judge couldn't get this one: It bounced into the stands for a ground-rule double. Uh-oh. Cliché Alert: Aroldis gotta Aroldis.
Now, the winning run was at the plate. But it was Kevin Pillar, and Chapman toasted him. And McCann, who had already homered, hit a long fly that Judge caught to cap his Man of the Match night.
Ballgame over! Yankees win! Theeeeeeeeeeee Yankees win! Yankees 8, Mets 7. WP: Holmes (7-3). SV: Chapman (26). LP: Trevor May (7-3). It was a game worthy of the occasion. New York United. Attendance: 43,144, or 1,222 over Pity Field's listed seating capacity.
The series concludes with the Sunday night ESPN game. Clarke Schmidt will start for the Bronx Bombers -- apparently, even Aaron Boone has now given up on Andrew Heaney -- and Carlos Carrasco will start for the Blue & Orange.
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