Two teams that have been moving in different directions recently played out exactly as scripted on Tuesday night.
In a tense Subway Series battle that hinged on the bullpen, Jeff McNeil’s two-run homer in the sixth inning off former Mets player Michael Tonkin was the deciding factor in a 3-2 Mets-Yankees victory in the Bronx.
But the drama came to a head in the bottom of the ninth. After Edwin Diaz had pitched two of the previous three days through Tuesday and threw 28 pitches on Monday night, the Mets brought in left-hander Jake Diekman in the ninth inning to lead off two lefties.
He got Trent Grisham to fly out and then walked Juan Soto on four pitches.
The Mets (52-48) spent most of their time trying to take the bat out of Aaron Judge’s hands, but the Yankees (60-43) couldn’t make up for it.
They walked J.D. Davis three times over 14 pitches, then intentionally walked him in his fourth at-bat.
But in the deciding ninth inning, the team finally decided to go after him, and Diekman got Judge to throw a 96 mph fastball inside for strike three, then Ben Rice grounded out to end the game.
