Not a lot has come simply for the Yankees over the past three-plus weeks, and that remained the case in Sunday afternoon’s Subway Collection finale.
However clutch heroics by Aaron Choose and Cody Bellinger helped the Yankees survive the Mets’ livid comeback bid, snap a six-game shedding streak and stop a sweep at Citi Subject.
Choose homered, drove in three runs and made a lead-preserving diving catch within the sixth inning of the Yankees’ 6-4 win.
And Bellinger’s sensational shoestring catch on a Juan Soto line drive was a rally-killing double play within the seventh.
“Considering the context of this week and everything, that’s probably our play of the year so far,” supervisor Aaron Boone mentioned of Bellinger’s seize.
The Yankees opened up a 5-0 lead within the fifth when Choose drilled a two-run house run — his thirty third homer of the season — in opposition to left-handed longman Brandon Waddell.
However the Mets answered within the backside of the inning with 4 consecutive one-out singles in opposition to Yankees ace Max Fried, together with a two-run knock by Francisco Lindor that minimize the deficit to 5-2.
The Mets stored chipping away within the sixth inning, with Jeff McNeil’s RBI infield single and Hayden Senger’s run-scoring double play in opposition to Jonathan Loáisiga making it a 5-4 recreation.
They’d the tying run at third base when Starling Marte struck a fast-falling liner to proper discipline, however Choose left his toes to make an inning-ending catch.
Choose’s sacrifice fly within the high of the seventh put the Yankees up 6-4, however the Mets threatened once more within the backside of the inning.
After reliever Mark Leiter Jr. hit Lindor to start the body, Soto smoked a 105-mph line drive to left discipline. The ball hung up simply lengthy sufficient for Bellinger to make a operating catch together with his glove touching the grass. He then fired to first base and doubled off Lindor.
“It was a hard-hit ball, so when I’m out there, it’s just trying to get the best read possible,” Bellinger mentioned. “I saw it in the air and had a really good bead on it, so I was just glad I was able to make the play.”
The Mets challenged the catch, and an umpire overview upheld it.
“Probably the play of the game there,” mentioned Mets supervisor Carlos Mendoza, including, “Obviously, I’m taking my chances there. I wanted to give it a look, and it’s a tough spot for Lindor to be in as a baserunner. He kind of gets caught in no-man’s land there.”
There was extra drama within the ninth when Devin Williams struck Luis Torrens out trying with an 0-2 changeup to begin the inning.
House plate umpire John Bacon appeared to overlook two pitches in that at-bat, which miffed Mendoza, who erupted out of the dugout, kicked some grime and was rapidly ejected.
“It had been building up the whole game,” Mendoza mentioned, including, “Especially in that situation, leading off an inning, you’re down two, you want to get guys on base and keep the line moving so hopefully Soto and Pete [Alonso] get a chance.”
The sport ended with Soto on deck.
Soto, who left the Yankees within the offseason for a record-setting 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets, went 0-for-4 on Sunday however completed the collection 4-for-11 with a house run and three RBI.
The loss snapped a four-game successful streak for the Mets.
“The past couple of games, we played very well,” Lindor mentioned. “Today … I didn’t execute on the basepath. I felt like that changed the momentum big-time there, but we all fought to the end.”
Ravaged by accidents, the Mets leaned on the likes of Justin Hagenman, Austin Warren, Richard Lovelady and Chris Devenski to beat the Yankees within the first two video games of the collection.
They deployed a bullpen recreation on Sunday, however it wasn’t as profitable, because the Yankees tagged Zach Pop for 3 runs in 1.1 innings; Waddell for 2 runs in 2.2 innings; and Huascar Brazobán for one run in a single inning.
Fried, in the meantime, allowed three runs in 5+ innings with 5 strikeouts. He improved to 11-2 this season and is now 9-1 in video games after a Yankees loss.
The win was the Yankees’ seventh of their final 23 video games, a stretch that included two separate six-game shedding skids.
“Every game is important,” Choose mentioned. “Doesn’t matter what happened before, what’s coming up. It’s just about today. We were focused on today.”
The Yankees gained two of three in the course of the Bronx version of the Subway Collection in Might. With the Mets’ collection victory in Queens over the weekend, the crosstown rivals cut up their six head-to-head conferences this season.
“Fourth of July weekend, Subway Series, that’s Americana right there,” Alonso mentioned. “This Fourth of July weekend was a special weekend in New York to watch baseball. Nothing’s more American than that.”
Initially Printed: July 6, 2025 at 4:53 PM EDT
