Queens, NY — Jeff McNeil delivered the decisive blow in a wild Subway Series opener Friday night, launching a go-ahead two-run homer in the bottom of the 7th to propel the Mets to a 6-5 win over the Yankees at Citi Field in front of 41,216 loud fans.
The clutch swing came off Yankees reliever Luke Weaver, who entered with two outs and immediately walked Pete Alonso. McNeil then punished a hanging changeup, sending it deep into the right-field upper deck — flipping the game and igniting the Queens crowd. It marked another rough outing for Weaver, who has now surrendered homers in three straight appearances.
The Mets rallied behind Juan Soto, who tormented his former team with three hits, including a two-run homer in the first inning. Brett Baty added a solo shot off Ian Hamilton in the sixth, trimming what was once a three-run Yankees lead.
Despite a promising start, the Yankees couldn’t hang on. Jasson Domínguez snapped a 32-game home run drought with two opposite-field bombs, driving in three runs on the night. He and Aaron Judge (who hit his 32nd homer of the year) opened the game with back-to-back blasts. Cody Bellinger added a solo shot in the fourth.
But the Mets bullpen held strong. Huascar Brazobán (4-2) tossed a clean seventh to earn the win, while Reed Garrett closed it out with a six-out save, his third of the season — highlighted by a dazzling defensive play from McNeil at second in the ninth.
Both teams entered the series searching for momentum after dramatic mid-season slides. On June 12, the Mets held MLB’s best record at 45-24, while the Yankees sat comfortably at 42-25. Since then, the Mets have gone 6-14 and the Yankees 6-15.
Injury-plagued New York turned to Justin Hagenman for his first big league start. The 28-year-old righty allowed four runs on five hits across 4 1/3 innings. On the other side, Marcus Stroman, facing his former club, gave up three runs and seven hits over five innings.
Key Moment:
McNeil jumped on the fourth of six changeups he saw from Weaver — the one mistake that changed the game.
Stat of the Night:
After a brilliant 1.05 ERA in his first 24 games, Weaver has posted a 13.50 ERA in seven outings since returning from a hamstring injury.
Next Up:
Saturday’s pitching matchup features Carlos Rodón (9-5, 2.95 ERA) for the Yankees vs. Frankie Montas (0-1, 6.00 ERA) for the Mets in Game 2 of the Subway Series.
