Pete Alonso’s wild throw home allowed the Yankees to score the go-ahead run in the eighth inning of a ‘til-then taut game and the Yanks went on to win, 8-2, to take the first installment of this season’s Subway Series.
With one out and runners on second and third and the score knotted at two, Jorbit Vivas smacked a hard grounder to Alonso at first and Jasson Dominguez broke from third base on contact. Alonso fielded the ball cleanly, but his throw was nowhere near the plate as Dominguez slid home.
It was the second error of the game for the Mets, who didn’t hit much, either. They had just three hits.
Alonso’s gaffe helped fuel a huge inning for the Yankees, who went on to score six times in the frame. Cody Bellinger smashed his ninth career grand slam and Paul Goldschmidt added an RBI single.
The Yankees won two-of-three at Yankee Stadium over the weekend. Sunday’s game drew 48,028 fans, the biggest crowd at the Stadium so far this season.
The teams next meet in a three-game series at Citi Field beginning on the Fourth of July.
Here are some takeaways…
– The loss dropped the Mets (29-18) to below .500 on the road this season — they are 12-13. The Yankees (27-19) are 15-9 at home.
– Max Fried did not factor into the decision, but he gave the Yankees six very fine innings, allowing three hits and two runs. He struck out eight, walked two and threw 102 pitches. One highlight pitch — he threw a tantalizing, 77-mile-per-hour curveball that flummoxed Juan Soto on a called strike three for the second out of the third inning. An indication of how good a season Fried is having — his stingy outing actually raised his ERA from 1.11 to a still-sparkling 1.29.
– David Peterson didn’t factor into the decision, either and he was just as effective as Fried, allowing two runs (one earned) and three hits over six frames. He walked four (one intentionally) and struck out fourth. He lowered his ERA from 3.05 to 2.86.
– Defense, a facet of the game that David Stearns said was something the Mets could improve, bit them at the very beginning of the night. The Yankees took advantage of a Mark Vientos error, in part, to take a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Goldschmidt, the leadoff hitter, hit a grounder to third and Vientos bobbled it, putting a runner on first. One out later, Aaron Judge doubled to right and Bellinger followed with a double up the first-base line that plated two runs. Peterson got two ground balls to escape further damage, holding the Yanks two only a pair of runs, one of them unearned. It was the sixth error of the season for Vientos.
– The Mets tied the score at two in the fifth inning, thanks to McNeil’s eye and legs. He worked an eight-pitch walk leading off, was sacrificed to second by Luisangel Acuña and went to third on a groundout by Francisco Lindor. When Fried bounced a pitch to Soto and it skipped away from Austin Wells, McNeil, who drove in the Mets’ first run with an RBI single in the second, broke for the plate and scored on the wild pitch.
– Soto, who was a flashpoint player all weekend, made a fine running catch to end the fourth inning, racing back to snag a deep drive toward right-center by the Yankees’ Austin Wells. Wells’ smash was clocked at 99.8 miles per hour off the bat and had an expected batting average of .380.
– Mets manager Carlos Mendoza’s strategy impacted the Yankee fifth when he chose to intentionally walk Judge with a runner on second and two out and let Peterson pitch to Bellinger, a lefty-lefty matchup. Peterson walked Bellinger, but then got Anthony Volpe to ground out to short and the Yanks left the bases loaded. That was the first time Volpe made the final out of an inning with the bases loaded – he struck out with the sacks full to end the seventh, too.
– In the fateful eighth inning, relievers Ryne Stanek and Genesis Cabrera combined to allow six runs (three earned) and three hits. They threw a combined 50 pitches, 31 by Stanek.
Game MVP: Tough to choose anyone but Bellinger, who had six RBI total on the night and extended his hitting streak to 13 games by going 3-for-3 with two walks. He’s 20-for-53 (.377) during the streak with four homers and 12 RBI. His 13-game streak matched his career high.
Highlights
Jeff McNeil gets a run back for the Mets!
(via @ESPN) pic.twitter.com/EgqFT9Js09
— SNY (@SNYtv) May 18, 2025
“She’s just over six months and she. Is. AWESOME! I’m loving every day of watching her grow up”
Brandon Nimmo on his daughter 🥹
(via @ESPN) pic.twitter.com/fUTUOKxxia
— SNY (@SNYtv) May 18, 2025
Juan Soto runs it down in the gap!
(via @ESPN) pic.twitter.com/im6x1x0LS7
— SNY (@SNYtv) May 19, 2025
The ball gets away from Austin Wells, Jeff McNeil comes home and the game is tied!
(via @ESPN) pic.twitter.com/x4SuG9KeEy
— SNY (@SNYtv) May 19, 2025
Francisco Lindor shared a laugh with Aaron Judge after Anthony Volpe grounded out 😅
(via @ESPN) pic.twitter.com/At6b5AtfNy
— SNY (@SNYtv) May 19, 2025
Whats next
The Mets head to Boston to start a three-game set with the Red Sox on Monday at 6:45 p.m.
The Yankees have an off day before hosting the Texas Rangers for a three-game set on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m.
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