The Yankees' pitchers weren't able to make seven runs hold up against one of the weaker offenses in baseball.
Your yearly mandated dose of the Subway Series kicked off with former Yankee Bartolo Colon taking the mound for the New York Mets to oppose one of the Yankees' last two initial rotation members still standing, Hiroki Kuroda. It would not be a night that either pitching staff should be particularly proud of.
It didn't take long for the Mets to get to Kuroda. They were able to manufacture a run after Eric Young Jr. let off with a single and predictably stole second base. A groundout from Daniel Murphy advanced him to third and another grounder from David Wright got him in to make it 1-0 Mets.The Yankees went out in front in a big way in the bottom of the second. The inning started with three consecutive singles by Brian McCann, Alfonso Soriano and Yangervis Solarte to load the bases. Two consecutive outs did not advance the runners as it looked like the Yankees were about to stumble into a massive RISP-fail. Fortunately Brett Gardner was there to save our collective sanity by yanking a Colon offering over the right field fence for a gritty gutty Grand Slam.
But it was live by the dinger, die by the dinger as Kuroda just could not hold the lead. In the fifth Travis d'Arnaud just got one over the fence for a solo shot to make the score 4-2. Then in the sixth former Yankee Curtis Granderson did what he did so often in Yankee Stadium, driving one into the short porch in right for a two-run homer that knotted the score up at four apiece. The tie would not hold for long as the Yankees put up three in the bottom of the sixth. Soriano hit a ground rule double and was sent home with a Solarte single. The noted speedster Kelly Johnson tripled home Solarte, though the ball was badly misplayed. Johnson was then promptly erased at home on a fielder's choice off the bat of Brian Roberts. A Gardner single and an epic overthrow by d'Arnaud on Gardner's steal of second allowed Roberts to score making it 7-4 Yankees.
That Mets gaffe would prove unimportant as Alfredo Aceves came in to relieve Kuroda and allowed a two-run homer to the mighty Young Jr., his first of the season and just his eighth in 437 career games. The lead was down to one run. The run would be relinquished in the eighth by normal LOOGY Matt Thornton, who was promoted to set-up duties this evening. Pinch-hitter Eric Campbell doubled and a bloop single into center by Lucas Duda got Campbell in just ahead of Jacoby Ellsbury's throw. Then, because the Mets are known for their slugging ways, Preston Claiborne came in and coughed up another homer, this time to Chris Young to make the score 9-7 Mets.
The Yankees were able to get the winning run up to the plate in the ninth. Against another former Yankee in Kyle Farnsworth, Derek Jeter worked a leadoff walk. After an Ellsbury flyout Mark Teixeira had a long pinch-hit single, setting the stage for McCann to be the hero. In a completely not surprising turn of events, McCann grounded into a game-ending double play, thus continuing his stellar play for the Yankees so far this year.
With the starting staff in tatters, Kuroda's going to have to be a lot better than he was tonight. Four runs over six innings against one of the poorer offenses in the league really isn't going to cut it. And as for the bullpen, well, the less said about that group and their implosion the better. Seven runs should be enough to beat the Mets, so get it together guys.
The Yankee Stadium portion of the Subway Series wraps up starting at 7:05 tomorrow. Zach Wheeler and Vidal Nuno are your probables.