Me at Yankee Stadium |
In
game one, the Mets took an early 1-0 lead just three batters into the
game. They manufactured a run as Eric Young Jr. lead off with a base
hit. He proceeded to steal second. He moved to third on a ground out. He
then scored on another ground out. In the bottom of the second inning,
the Yankees struck back, they loaded the bases with three straight
singles to start the inning against former Yankee Bartolo Colon who beared down. He got the next two batters out but with two outs, Brett
Gardner didn't let him escape unscathed. He delivered a big blow as he
hit a grand slam to give the Yankees a 4-1 lead. The Mets got one back
in the top of the fifth inning when catcher Travis d'Arnaud hit a solo
homer to make it 4-2. The Mets got even in the top of the sixth when
former Yankee Curtis Granderson hit a two run homer to tie the game at
four. The Yankees answered right back as they score three runs in the
bottom of the sixth inning to go up, 7-4. The Mets chipped away as they
got within a run, 7-6 thanks to a two run homer by Eric Young Jr. in the
top of the seventh inning. The Mets continued to fight back as they
tied the game at seven on a run scoring single by Lucas Duda in the top
of the eighth inning. They used the long ball again as Chris Young took
one out to give the Mets the lead for good as they held off the Yankees,
9-7 to take game one. Lucas Duda saved the game with his glove as he
started & finished a beautiful double play to preserve the win.
Tuesday
night after work I returned to the Bronx for game two. I met up with
the King at our seats in section 420B row 7. This time the Mets
offensive surge continued early as they scored four runs in the top of
the first inning. David Wright delivered a run scoring single which was
followed by a three run blast by former Yankee Curtis Granderson off Yankee starter
Vidal Nuno. The Mets practically gave it all back as the Yankees got
some clutch hits with two outs off of Mets' starter Zack Wheeler. Mark
Teixeira broke the shutout with a run scoring single which was followed
by a two run homer by Brian McCann to make it 4-3 after one inning. The
Mets extended their lead to 7-3 with a run in the third & two more
in the fourth inning. The Yankees made it 7-4 after four. The Mets
tacked on four more in the top of the fifth inning which was highlighted
by a three run shot by Daniel Murphy to go up 11-4. This time the Mets
didn't allow the Yankees to make it too interesting as they went on to
beat them, 12-7.
Wednesday
night the series shifted from the Bronx to Queens as the Mets came back
home to Citi Field to finish the Subway Series with the Yankees.
Me with Kristina Munoz & Vincent Reardon |
During
the game, I got a special visit from a few up & coming road
trippers, Vincent Reardon & his girl friend Kristina Munoz who are
trying to see all 30 MLB ballparks before they turn 30 years old. They've been to
seven ballparks thus far they said. They told me they're making a West
Coast trip in late June to see all five ballparks in California. I told them
the King & I did a monster trip out there last August. They were in
awe of our accomplishments. I told them we've been traveling together as
long as they've been alive. Vincent said he lives in Astoria. With that
being said, we're neighbors. As for Kristina, she's from the Bronx. I
told them I'll guide them along so they can achieve their goal. It was
nice to meet & greet them. I expect our paths to cross more often in
the near future.
As
for the game we saw, the Mets left their offense in the Bronx. They
faced rookie Masahiro Tanaka, the sensational Japanese import who has
lived up to the high expectations so far. The Mets found out firsthand
on this night. Tanaka dominated as he allowed just four hits while
walking none & striking out eight as he earned his first major
league shutout. He also picked up his first major league hit. As for the
Mets, rookie Rafael Montero made his major league debut. He pitched six
innings allowing three runs. He walked two & he struck out three.
Without any offensive support, he didn't stand a chance on this night.
Thursday
night I returned to Citi Field for the finale of the four game set. The
Mets bats were once again silenced by another rookie who made his major
league debut, Chase Whitley. He didn't pitch long enough to qualify for
the victory as he was pulled an out away from doing so. He left with
the game scoreless. He did get his first major league hit, a single to
right in the third inning. The Yankees couldn't get to another rookie
who was making his major league debut for the Mets, Jacob deGrom who
went seven innings. They finally got the game's only run a run scoring
double in the seventh inning by Alfonso Soriano that proved to be the
difference as the Yankees split the series with a 1-0 victory. Like
Chase Whitley, Jacob deGrom also helped himself with the bat as he
picked up his first major league hit. It should be noted it was the
first hit by a Met pitcher this season.
Stay tuned as I plan to recap the weekend getaway the King & I took to Cleveland & Washington DC in the middle of May.
Thank you for reading & following along.
Yours truly,
Gary Herman
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