Mets Beat Yanks, Mariano Rivera in 9th
You couldn’t ask for more. Mets-Yankees. The Subway Series at Citi Field. Matt Harvey on the mound in a pitching duel with Hiroki Kuroda. Both were gone when the Mets staged a dramatic comeback against Mariano Rivera in the ninth inning to win the game.
Brett Gardner led off the sixth inning of a scoreless game with a single to left. Marlon Byrd bobbled the ball and Gardner went to second on the error. Gardner advanced to third on a ground out. Vernon Wells popped out to John Buck in foul territory for the second out. But Lyle Overbay singled up the middle to score Gardner to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. The run was earned; the official scorer likely assumed Gardner would have moved to second on the ground out and still would have been able to score on the single.
Ruben Tejada led off the bottom of the sixth with a grounder to second that Robinson Cano botched. He was safe at first on the error. Daniel Murphy hit a slicing fly ball to left center. Gardner went back and stretched as far as he could, snagging the ball at the wall. On Monday Gardner robbed Murphy of a two-run home run with an incredible catch. What does he have against Murphy? David Wright was next, and Chris Stewart couldn’t catch Kuroda’s first pitch, the ball bouncing off his glove and allowing Tejada to go to second. Stewart had a key passed ball last night as well. Wright struck out for the second out. With Lucas Duda up, Tejada strayed too far and got picked off of second to end the inning. The umpire initially signaled safe, then changed it to out. That sent Terry Collins running from the dugout to argue. Collins got heated and was eventually tossed from the game. Replays showed the umpire got the call right and Tejada was indeed out.
Kuroda was done after seven innings, allowing no runs on just four hits. He struck out seven Mets and did not walk a batter.
Matt Harvey came out for the eighth and got the first two outs. Robinson Cano singled and then Wells hit a slow roller up the middle. Tejada gave up on it, thinking Murphy was going to get it, and it rolled into center field. Cano advanced to third. Lyle Overbay hit a sharp liner to right that Byrd was able to handle for the third out and keep the Yankees from padding their lead.
So Matt Harvey went eight innings, allowing just that disputed earned run on six hits, with 10 strikeouts and no walks.
Rivera, the man the Mets honored all day with presents and ceremonial first balls, came on to try to close out the game for the Yankees. Murphy led off with a ground rule double to put the potential tying run on second base. Wright then singled past the shortstop (the ball almost hitting Murphy) and Murphy raced around to score to tie the game at one. The ball got past the catcher on the throw home and Wright moved to second. And then Lucas Duda, who has failed time and time again with runners in scoring position, came through with a single to right to score Wright with the winning run. It was Rivera’s first blown save of the season.
Mets win 2-1 and take both games of the Subway Series at Citi Field. Now it’s on to Yankee Stadium for two more.
wow, u churned this out fast. good stuff. great game
Thanks Tim! I try to get every game up as quickly as I can.