Mets Overcome Major Travel Chaos To Beat Yankees In Game 1 of Subway Series
The New York Mets overcame planes, trains and Bronx Bombers to deliver a solid start to their Subway Series, winning on Tuesday, 3-2, over the New York Yankees.
New York's "little brother" baseball team arrived at Yankee Stadium fighting some lag after the team was hit with traveling issues stemming from the weekend outages that dramatically affected air travel.
The Mets' flight back home, following a 6-4 win against the Marlins in Miami on Monday, was significantly delayed, resulting in their arrival in New York at 5 a.m. on Tuesday.
Some players didn't get home until 7 a.m. The Mets had just finished a four-game set against the Marlins and had to quickly recover before facing the Yankees later that evening.
Mets Survive Lag To Take Subway Series Lead
Mets coach Eric Chavez joked that the Mets weren't facing an even playing field because of the delay.
"It was terrible. I got home at 6 in the morning," commented Mets pitcher Luis Severino. "I’m not doing anything, I just feel bad for the guys that are playing."
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 23: Jose Quintana #62 of the New York Mets pitches during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on July 23, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 23: The New York Yankees hold a moment of silence for New York Mets long time team photographer Marc Levine prior to their game at Yankee Stadium on July 23, 2024 in New York City. Levine passed away on July 4, 2024. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
The 52-48 Mets found a way to get the job done through the dizzying travel delays.
On several occasions, the Mets and Yankees threatened the lead by filling up the bases, though neither team fully capitalized on the opportunity.
On a pair of occasions, the Mets missed driving in potential scores due to poor base running by the lethargic Luis Torrens and second baseman Jeff McNeil, the latter of who failed to score from second after a 388-foot single by Tyrone Taylor. Torrens was stopped at second base as a result and Taylor assumed first base. Earlier in the game, Torrens failed to score from first after a deep shot by Lindor.
McNeil's two-run homer in the sixth inning more than made up for his mishap in the fifth, giving the Mets their 3-2 lead. The Mets' one-run advantage hung on for dear life in the bottom of the ninth when the Yankees had Juan Soto on first with one out and Aaron Judge stepping up to bat against Mets reliever Jake Diekman.
Already walked four times, Judge seemed ready to reach base a fifth time. But Carlos Mendoza let Diekman challenge Judge, and the former AL MVP struck out looking. Diekman recorded another out and the Mets tallied a hard-fought W.
"It was amazing. We need that. I'm really happy for him... The whole bullpen saved that game," Jose Quintana said after the game.
Additionally, Jeff McNeil commented on the speed bumps the team faced, en route to their Subway Series Game 1 victory.
"That was a tough travel," McNeil said. "Probably one of the worst ones we've had, but you can't make excuses. Travel is tough sometimes, but we're able to get a little bit of sleep. I slept till 12:30p, so I got six hours. Messes up the schedule a bit, but we came here to compete today."
"It happens a lot," Mets slugger Pete Alonso said on Tuesday. "I know it’s probably a story today because we’re playing the Yankees. … There’s really no excuses. We’re all going to be ready to go."
The Yankees hope to escape the series with a tie; the teams return to the Bronx for Game 2 on Wednesday.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 23: Jeff McNeil #1 of the New York Mets celebrates his two-run home run with Pete Alonso #20 at the plate against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on July 23, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
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