Jeff McNeil's late go-ahead homer lifts Mets to 6-5 win over Yankees

The Mets pulled off a late-inning comeback, thanks to a seventh-inning home run by Jeff McNeil, to defeat the Yankees, 6-5, on Friday afternoon at Citi Field in the opener of Subway Series Round 2.

It was the Mets’ third straight win, and the Yankees’ fifth straight loss. The crosstown rivals are now 2-2 across four Subway Series games this season.

Here are the takeaways…

— After trailing much of the day, the Mets rallied in the seventh on a two-out walk by Pete Alonso and the go-ahead homer by McNeil, who pulled a 3-2 changeup from Luke Weaver into the second deck of the right field seats. It was a huge win for the Mets, considering their pitching has been decimated by injuries.

— Justin Hageman, Austin Warren, and Huascar Brazobán kept them in the game, and then Reed Garrett closed it out with a six-out save. Garrett's role was crucial, considering that Ryne Stanek and Edwin Diaz were both unavailable after pitching the last two days.

— Juan Soto had a monster day, going 3-for-4 with a two-run blast, a double that led to him scoring, and a single as well. He also just missed a second homer, just getting under a pitch from Tim Hill in the seventh that he mashed at 106.8 mph off the bat. Soto’s first-inning shot tied the game at 2-2 and changed the complexion of the game.

— As noted by Sarah Langs of MLB.com, Soto’s first-inning homer was his 60th career opposite-field blast. Since the start of the 2018 season, that’s second-most in the majors, behind only Aaron Judge’s total of 90. The second-highest mark from a left-handed hitter during this span is 50, set by Bryce Harper.

— Hagenman was roughed up by the Yankees in his fill-in start, giving up four runs in 4.1 innings. He was hurt mostly by the long ball, as Jasson Dominguez, Judge, and Cody Bellinger all hit solo homers against him. Dominguez and Judge led off the game with home runs, while Bellinger delivered his shot in the fourth.

— Hagenman was pulled after a one-out single by DJ Lemahieu in the fifth, and then Austin Warren promptly gave up a two-run homer to Dominguez, his second of the game.

— Marcus Stroman went five innings for the Yankees, allowing three runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out four (81 pitches). While he pitched okay, he couldn’t get Soto out. Soto’s two-run dinger and double led to all three runs against the veteran right-hander.

— Dominguez is smoking-hot for the Yankees. His two homers on Friday followed a four-hit game against the Blue Jays on Thursday and gives him eight for the season. Since June 10, Dominguez is hitting .361 with five homers and 11 RBI. 

Game MVP: Jeff McNeil

He’s not the ideal No. 5 hitter behind Alonso, except he was on this day. He battled Weaver to a 3-2 count and then got a changeup, at 87 mph, that stayed up just enough for him to launch for his ninth homer this season. McNeil also made a great play in the ninth, diving to smother a high chopper off the bat of Lemahieu, and scrambling to his feet to throw him out for the second out of the inning.

Highlights

What's next

The Mets (51-38) and Yankees (48-40) will play the middle game of their holiday weekend set on Saturday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 4:10 p.m. on SNY.

RHP Frankie Montas (0-1, 6.00 ERA) will pitch against his former team, while the Yankees counter with LHP Carlos Rodón (9-5, 2.95 ERA).

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