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Francisco Lindor, Mets outlast Yankees in back-and-forth affair, even up Subway Series

With the sun shining and boos still raining upon Juan Soto, the Yankees suffered a Subway Series-tying, 3-2 loss to the Mets in the Bronx on Saturday afternoon.

Francisco Lindor put the finishing touches on the contest between crosstown rivals, breaking a 2-2 tie in the ninth inning with a bases-loaded sac fly off Fernando Cruz. The Yankees’ reliever put himself in the jam, walking Luis Torrens, allowing a Brett Baty single and hitting Tyrone Taylor with a pitch before Lindor provided the winning run in a back-and-forth affair.

The Yankees had a chance in the bottom of the ninth, but Edwin Díaz struck out pinch-hitter Austin Wells, induced a line out from Ben Rice and fanned Aaron Judge, ending the game and cementing an 0-for-5 day for the pinstripers’ captain.

The Yankees started the scoring on Saturday, as DJ LeMahieu hit his first home run since July 31 of last year in the third inning. The short porch solo shot off Griffin Canning came in the second baseman’s second start of the season and first game at Yankee Stadium this year.

The Mets pieced together a response in the fourth though, as Clarke Schmidt labored after previously denying the Queens club a baserunner.

Lindor led things off with a walk, while Soto singled for his first hit of the series. Pete Alonso then knocked an RBI single to tie things up.

Following a Brandon Nimmo strikeout and a Soto steal of third, Mark Vientos lofted a go-ahead sac fly for the second out. The Mets had an opportunity to do more damage, but Schmidt escaped a bases-loaded situation by getting Baty to line out to right, ending a 25-pitch inning.

Schmidt totaled six innings, three hits, two earned runs, five walks, five strikeouts and 88 pitches, while Canning logged 5.1 frames, seven hits, two earned runs, one walk, four strikeouts and 92 pitches.

The Yankees knotted things back up in the sixth against Canning, as Cody Bellinger bombed his sixth homer of the year 432 feet to right-center. However, the Yankees also wasted a chance to tack on during that inning after Jasson Domínguez and Anthony Volpe each singled with one out.

From there, a soft J.C. Escarra grounder led to Domínguez being thrown out at the plate. Umpire’s interference, self-called by home plate ump James Jean, then erased a double steal from Volpe and Escarra before LeMahieu ended the inning by grounding into a force out.

The Yankees also had runners on first and second with nobody out in the fifth and the bases loaded with two away in the eighth but failed to score then as well. They didn’t capitalize in the fifth after a Jorbit Vivas strikeout, a Rice lineout to left, and a Judge dribbler.

After the game, Boone said he considered having Vivas, a rookie, bunt, but he felt the Mets were playing against it aggressively and that the Yankees lacked speed on the bases with Escarra and LeMahieu running.

Some sharp defense from the Yankees did keep the game tied in the seventh, as Bellinger, Volpe and Escarra turned a Taylor double into a perfectly-executed relay and an out at the plate. LeMahieu then ended the inning with a slick, backhanded, sliding play on a Lindor groundout.

Alas, the defense couldn’t make up for the nine runners the Yankees stranded. They also went 0-for-6 with men in scoring position.

With Yankee Stadium’s regular season Subway Series finale looming on Sunday, the Bombers will turn to their new ace, Max Fried.

The southpaw was the team’s first and most significant splash following Soto’s defection to the Mets, as he agreed to an eight-year, $218 million deal two days later. The Yankees have certainly gotten their money’s worth thus far, as Fried has a 1.11 ERA over his first nine starts with the club.

The Mets will also throw a lefty, as David Peterson is in line for the finale. He has a 3.05 ERA this season.