Mets' bats own Citi Field against battered Yankees - Newsday
So to recap where this Subway Series stands after the first two games, and the state of the teams in general, here’s a pair of Saturday’s notable snapshots from the Mets’ 12-6 victory over the Yankees at Citi Field:
* Pete Alonso slugging a pair of home runs to close within seven of passing Darryl Strawberry for the franchise record.
* Anthony Volpe firing a between-innings toss (as the Yankees ran off the field) that sailed roughly 50 yards before striking Aaron Judge on the side of his right eye, drawing blood and requiring a bandage for the Yankees’ captain to continue.
The Mets did a good enough job on their own beating up their crosstown rivals, with Alonso’s two moonshots and Brandon Nimmo’s second grand slam in three games powering a 10-hit attack. With so much talk about the banged-up pitching staff and manager Carlos Mendoza having to figure out his starters on a daily basis, it was a big relief for the Mets’ bats to finally switch up the narrative.
“I think also we’re playing complete baseball on both sides of the ball and we’re finishing games,” Alonso said. “Having good at-bats, inning one through nine, and just playing clean. Hopefully we can continue that.”
Justin Hagenman? Frankie Montas? TBD for Sunday? Nimmo and Alonso helped make those names inconsequential for the weekend while pushing the Yankees to the brink of being swept.
The Mets also are 4-0 with Francisco Lindor in the No. 2 spot after he chipped in with a pair of hits, two walks and four runs scored in the rout.
“It feels good to win games with the ability of everyone contributing,” Lindor said. “We have one game where it’s like two guys, now it’s like one through nine. You have guys coming into the game making an impact. That’s huge. That’s what good teams do. And it feels good to help give the pitchers, who have been doing a fantastic job, the blow of having some space.”
About that pitching: This weekend was supposed to be a mismatch on the mound, specifically from the perspective of the starters. But as we’ve learned about the Subway Series, it’s best to expect the unexpected.
The Mets took the opener by sending out Hagenman and Austin Warren for the early bulk of the game, then got 5 2⁄3 innings Saturday from Montas, who earned the win despite giving up four runs, including solo homers by Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Austin Wells.
Alonso at least gave Mendoza a rare opportunity to exhale. He hammered a 382-foot two-run homer off Carlos Rodon in the fifth inning, then went even further in the seventh with a 392-foot three-run blast off lefty reliever Jayvien Sandridge.
Alonso has 10 homers against the Yankees, passing David Wright for the most by a Met. It also was his third multi-homer game of the season, and he moved ahead of Mike Piazza for the third-most RBIs in franchise history with 656.
As for closing fast on Strawberry’s record, Alonso shrugged that off — for now.
“I know that, but I just want to help the team win,” he said. “That’s really all I want to do.”
If Alonso turns back into the masher he was earlier this season — Saturday’s first homer was his first in 58 plate appearances — that winning is going to start happening more often again. And a key reason is him being more selective in the batter’s box. Alonso helped set up Nimmo’s first-inning slam with a walk that loaded the bases.
“When he’s at his best, he’s controlling the strike zone,” Mendoza said. “Because we know the power, and we saw it again today. The pull side, and to rightfield. But not chasing, especially winning counts. That’s a really good sign. When he’s forcing pitchers to come in the strike zone, he’s going to make them pay.”
Said Alonso: “I just feel better in my setup. Feel good in my mechanics. That allows me to see the ball better.”
It’s almost as if the Yankees, a wobbly team that has lost six straight, have fixed all the stuff that had been ailing the Mets. In Friday’s opener, Jeff McNeil supplied the late-inning heroics with a go-ahead two-run homer and the back end of the bullpen came up big. On Saturday, the Mets made sure Montas had an early lead and just kept piling on.
Mendoza wasn’t leaving anything to chance, either. Even with a comfortable lead, he used Ryne Stanek for the eighth inning and brought in Edwin Diaz to protect a six-run cushion in the ninth.
With two Ws in hand, Mendoza could worry about Sunday . . . when he wakes up Sunday. The Mets could sleep well before then.
“I feel like both of these teams right now are kind of like heavyweights at the end of a 15-round match, just trying to throw some haymakers,” Nimmo said. “Both teams are pretty beat up right now.”
With one Subway Series game left for this season, we certainly know which team is on the ropes going into Sunday’s finale — and it’s not the Mets.