The rivalry between the New York Mets and New York Yankees continued on May 16-18 as they faced off in the regular season for the 149th time. After this past off-season, the rivalry became more intense when one of the Yankees best player, Juan Soto, chose to sign with the Mets instead of the Yankees. This made Yankees fan dislike Soto and their hatred towards the Mets grew.
“Soto left the Yankees for more money and as much as I think most people would do the same thing if they were in that position, New York fans expect players to hold true to the pinstripes. We believe there is something unequivocal about being a Yankee and wearing those pinstripes that money can’t buy. So, Soto got to experience what happens when you turn your back on the Yankees and their fans,” remarked Danielle Allen, long-time Yankee’s fan.
Mets vs Yankees: Scoring Summary
The game started off hot with the Mets going 1-2-3 in the top of the first. This was a good start for the Yankees because the Mets 2 hitter was Juan Soto, who has been in a recent slump. The Yankees came up at the bottom of the first and came out swinging. Paul Goldschmidt got it started for the Yanks with a reached-on error by the third baseman. 2 batters later, Aaron Judge hit a ground rule double to get Goldschmidt on third and himself on second. Cody Bellinger came up and hit a hard ground ball down the first base line for a double, scoring both Goldschmidt and Judge.
In the top of the second the Mets also found a way to get on the scoreboard. Mark Vientos started off the inning with a single back to the pitcher, beating the throw to first. Brandon Nimmo came up next and walked, moving Vientos to second. The next 2 batters struck out, which brought up Jeff McNeil. McNeil hit a hard-line drive right back up the middle, scoring Vientos and moving Nimmo to second. The inning ended two pitches later with a ground ball to the second base man, getting McNeil out at second.
The next scoring didn’t happen until the top of the fifth, when the New York Mets tied the game after a wild pitch by Yankees starting pitcher, Max Fried. Jeff McNeil capitalized on the pitch by coming home and scoring the tying run.
“I was hopeful that the subway series would be an opportunity for Juan Soto to get out of his slump, but as a Mets fan I should know better than to hope,” said Stephen Carew who has been a Mets fan since his first game when he was 5-years-old.
Yankees Breaking the game open
After another few slow innings, the Yankees took the game over and came out hot in the bottom of the 8th. The inning started off with a Jasson Domínguez walk after working a 3-2 count. DJ LeMahieu struck out next at bat, which brought up Austin Wells, who hit a double to the right field, moving Domínguez to third. Jorbit Vivas came up with the infield playing in. Vivas hit a ground ball to the first baseman and Domínguez took off for home. The first baseman made a throwing error to home, allowing Domínguez to score and Wells to be safe at third.
Goldschmidt came up next and hit a line drive just over McNeils glove. This scored Wells and moved Vivas to second. Trent Grisham walked, loading the bases. Aaron Judge was now up in a big spot but ended up striking out after 4 pitches. Cody Bellinger was next up, and capitalized on a middle-inside fastball, which he turned on and hit it 356 feet to right field for a grand slam. The next batter grounded out to the shortstop, ending the inning after the Yankees scored 6, making the score 8-2, Yankees.
The Mets came up at the top of the 9th hoping to make a comeback, but for the 5th time that game, they went 3 up, 3 down. This ended the game and giving the Yankees their second win of the series and their 27th win of the year.
