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Jeff McNeil flipped his bat and began his jog to first base with his hands clasped behind his back as he turned toward the Mets dugout.
The Mets had scratched, using a makeshift pitching alignment, to remain in this game Friday and there was McNeil to detonate the last needed fireworks barrage.
Boom.
McNeil’s two-run homer in the seventh inning gave the Mets a Fourth-of-July delight with a 6-5 victory over the Yankees at Citi Field.
The Mets smashed three homers in winning their third straight, further distancing them from a horrid stretch that included a three-game beatdown in Pittsburgh last weekend in which a players only meeting was held.
The Yankees lost their fifth straight, continuing their recent pitching slump. On this day, it was Luke Weaver delivering the disappointment, with a blown save in the seventh.
Pete Alonso’s two-out walk in the eighth gave the Mets a pulse before McNeil unloaded on a full-count changeup from Weaver to put the Mets ahead.
If that wasn’t enough, McNeil’s lunging grab and throw to first on DJ LeMahieu’s one-hop bloop in the ninth prevented the Yankees from putting the tying run on base.
Reed Garrett pitched the final two innings scoreless for the save, with Edwin Díaz unavailable following back-to-back appearances.
Marcus Stroman, in his second start off the injured list, gave the Yankees a chance by limiting the Mets to three runs on seven hits and one walk with four strikeouts over five innings. Stroman was removed at 81 pitches.
Justin Hagenman fell into a 2-0 hole by surrendering homers to the first two batters he faced, Jasson Domínguez and Aaron Judge. Domínguez, who appeared struck out on a pitch that was called a ball by plate umpire Mike Estabrook earlier in the at-bat, launched a full-count sinker for his seventh homer. Judge hit a sinker for homer No. 32 this season.
But the Mets recovered the runs in the bottom of the inning. After Domínguez froze on Brandon Nimmo’s shot to left leading off the inning — the ball eluded Domínguez’s outstretched glove for a double — Juan Soto tied it with a two-run homer.
Soto received a standing ovation before the at-bat, a response by Mets fans after the star outfielder was booed and taunted throughout the team’s visit to Yankee Stadium in May. Soto jumped on a 1-2 cutter from Stroman and cleared the fence in left-center for his team-leading 21st homer of the season.
The Mets went ahead 3-2 in the third on Alonso’s RBI single off Anthony Volpe’s glove after Soto had doubled against Stroman with one out.
Hagenman surrendered his third solo homer of the day, a shot by Cody Bellinger leading off the fourth, tying it 3-3. Bellinger’s 13th of the season gave him three in four games against the Mets this season.
Domínguez’s second homer of the game sank the Mets into a 5-3 hole. Hagenman was removed after allowing a one-out single to LeMahieu and Domínguez greeted Austin Warren by clearing the left-field fence. The Yankees wasted an opportunity to extend their lead, as Warren struck out Jazz Chisholm Jr. after Judge had singled and Giancarlo Stanton drew a two-out walk.
Hagenman, in his third career MLB appearance (and first start), surrendered four runs on five hits with five strikeouts over 4 ¹/₃ innings. The previous Mets pitcher to face the Yankees in his MLB starting debut was Jacob deGrom in 2014.
Brett Baty’s solo homer in the sixth against Ian Hamilton sliced the Yankees’ lead to 5-4. Baty’s homer was his ninth of the season.
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