The Subway Series got underway at Citi Field on Tuesday night as Gerrit Cole and the Yankees looked to get back on track against David Peterson and the surging Mets. A capacity crowd filed in hoping their teams would claim bragging rights this year.
Yankees Offense Can’t Deliver
The Yankees loaded the bases with nobody out to start the game bringing Gleyber Torres to the plate. The situation haunts fans facing the same situation after Gleyber dug in in Boston. Gleyber had a 3-0 count in Boston and still failed to drive in a run, and this scenario was no different.
Torres flailed at a pitch high and way out of the zone for the first out of the inning. Alex Verdugo followed up by striking out, making it bases-loaded with two outs and still no runs driven in.
That brought up newly acquired J.D. Davis, the epitome of a midseason move for the Bombers. Davis was DFA’d by Oakland....let me repeat that he was DFA’d BY OAKLAND! Still, the Yankees thought bringing in another veteran with a .236 average would help them. Davis was caught window-shopping to end the inning, leaving the bases loaded and no runs being scored.
The Yankees have had the bases loaded with no one out TWICE in a month and have no runs to show for it….#repbx
— Bobby Santoro (@bsantoro112) June 25, 2024
Setback for the Yankees’ Ace
The Monstars from Space Jam must have had a baseball game to play because it certainly looked like Gerrit Cole’s talent was stolen from him. The Yankee ace failed to record a strikeout and allowed four home runs in his four innings of work. Mark Vientos hit two of those long balls, while Harrison Bader and Brandon Nimmo scored homers off Cole.
After just four innings, Cole had been driven from the game, and the Mets had a 6-0 lead on the Yankees. Juan Soto finally got the Bombers on the board against David Peterson (who, until that point, looked like Sandy Koufax against the anemic Yankee offense), cutting the deficit to 6-1.
Bullpen as Advertised
The Yankees scrap heap bullpen was tasked with keeping the deficit at 6-1, but a Gleyber Torres error made it 7-1, and JD Martinez belted an RBI double to push it to an 8-1 Mets' lead. Alonso’s sac-fly made it 9-1, and if it hadn't been for Aaron Judge laying out to make an excellent play, it could have been even worse. In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Mets swiped two bases off Jose Trevino as his struggles behind the plate continued.
The Captain Makes it Interesting.
Aaron Judge inched the Yankees closer with an RBI double in the seventh, but it wasn’t until the eighth inning that the Yankees (or rather Aaron Judge and the Baby Bombers) showed signs of life.
Ben Rice came in to pinch hit for Davis after an 0-for-3 showing with two strikeouts and grounding into a double play in his pinstripe debut. Rice immediately ripped a leadoff single to center to lead things off. After DJ LeMahieu flew out, Trent Grisham pinch-hit for Jahmai Jones, the Yankees DH…batting 8th in the lineup.
Grisham worked a walk, and Wells came in to hit for the struggling Trevino with a chance to show why he should be the starting catcher. Wells laced an RBI single to score Rice and cut the deficit to a 9-3 Mets lead.
After Soto drew a two-out walk, Judge dug in with a chance to do some damage. The Yankee captain belted a grand slam over the right-center field wall for his 29th home run of the year. Thanks to Soto, Judge, Rice, and Wells, we had a ballgame.
We got ourselves a BALLGAME!!!
— Bobby Santoro (@bsantoro112) June 26, 2024
All for Nothing
Tommy Kahnle came in to pitch the eighth and worked out of a LeMahieu error, keeping it a 9-7 game heading into the top half of the ninth. Verdugo and Rice each hit the ball hard, but Pete Alonso flashed leather to retire the side, and the Yankees were down to their final out.
LeMahieu watched two pitches sail right down Broadway, then flailed at an 0-2 pitch to end the game.
Final Thoughts
I understand the Yanks are going through a rough stretch at the moment, and that will happen throughout a 162-game season. What bothers me is this is all too familiar and can’t be like the last few years. A hot start, followed by injuries, cannot lead to the Yankees signing low-average hitters and hoping they turn things around. The farm system needs to be tested; while pitching in the Minors may not be ideal, the Yankees have an abundance of catchers. There is no reason that Trevino should be starting when you have Austin Wells.
Before you say, “Well he hasn't produced,” realize that Austin played almost every day in college and throughout the farm system. He needs to play every day to get the most out of him. The backup catcher role should not be for a younger prospect. It should be for a veteran who can fill in when needed; putting a kid in that spot only stunts his growth as a player.
Tuesday should be a gut check. The close score means nothing because only Judge and Soto performed out of the starters. When October comes, teams will pitch around them and make others beat them.
The series continues Wednesday night with Luis Gil going up against Sean Manaea, with first pitch slated for 7:10 p.m.
Be sure to check out JerseySportingNews.com for more Yankees and Mets updates!
- Cole'd as Ice: Yankees Embarrassed by Crosstown Rival in 9-7 Defeat - June 26, 2024
- 2024 Subway Series Official Preview: Exciting Pitching Matchup for Game 1 - June 25, 2024
- Mets stay Red Hot; Pummel Texas for 6th-straight Win - June 17, 2024
About The Author
