Mets hit 3 HRs, Matz beats Yankees in Subway Series opener
NEW YORK (AP) — With a revamped offense led by Yoenis Cespedes, the New York Mets are finally perfecting the formula that has had this city in Yankees pinstripes for two decades: power and pitching.
Lucas Duda, Daniel Murphy and Juan Uribe each homered, and closer Jeurys Familia shook off the Yankees' best shot in the ninth inning to help the Mets to a 5-1 victory Friday night in the opener of the Subway Series.
"It's definitely nice," Murphy said of the offensive production. "With the way our bullpen and our starting pitching is throwing the ball they haven't needed much."
Rookie Steven Matz (4-0) outpitched Masahiro Tanaka (12-7), and Familia escaped his own bases-loaded jam by fanning Chase Headley for the final out at Citi Field.
This was the latest regular-season matchup between the teams, and the NL East-leading Mets held their eight-game lead over Washington with 15 to play.
The Yankees fell 4 1-2 games behind AL East-leading Toronto, which beat Boston 6-1.
Matz (4-0) used a new slider in overcoming a wild start to pitch six gutsy innings, working around seven hits.
Alex Rodriguez, Jacoby Ellsbury and Brian McCann didn't start for the Yankees — who outhit the Mets 9-8 — but all of them got into the game.
"I've seen these guys put up runs before," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said of his punchless lineup. "I know we don't have Alex. I know we don't have McCann, too, our big boppers. But we had our opportunities."
A-Rod walked as a pinch hitter with one out in the ninth to put runners on first and second. Ellsbury then grounded a shot that struck Familia near his left knee and caromed into foul territory for a single that loaded the bases.
Familia showed he was OK with a warmup pitch, then he retired Brett Gardner on a flyball and struck out Headley.
"I'm feeling good," Familia said.
Tanaka gave up two runs and five hits in six innings, and left after throwing only 82 pitches. Duda and Murphy hit solo home runs off the Japanese star.
The second-largest crowd in Citi Field history of 43,602 was abuzz from the start in the most meaningful games between the teams since the Yankees beat the Mets in the 2000 World Series.
A foundering offense into July, the Mets have taken off since the arrival of Cespedes, Uribe and Kelly Johnson. Uribe hit a two-run shot as a pinch-hitter in the seventh to open a 4-1 lead. The drive was the team's 29th in the past 17 games.
"Yo has been unbelievable, but in the last couple of weeks you keep looking up and other guys are getting big hits, and tonight other guys had big hits," Mets manager Terry Collins said.
Four Mets pitchers, meanwhile, ended the Yankees' homer streak at 11 games.
Collins talked about his young players gaining big-game experience in this set that would be helpful for the amped-up postseason.
Matz, however, looked unsettled at the start. He walked Gardner leading off the game and allowed Chris Young's sacrifice fly.
"That was the most fans I ever pitched in front on and the crowd was pretty electric," Matz said.
Matz gave up two more hits in the second, needing 43 pitches for the first two innings. He could be seen in the dugout during the bottom half shaking his head and muttering to himself.
The pep talk worked.
The 24-year-old from Long Island settled in nicely, yielding just three singles over the next four innings.
"Just feeling comfortable out there," Matz said proved to be the difference as the game went on.
Murphy sent a two-out, full-count pitch from Tanaka into the Yankees bullpen for a 2-1 lead in the bottom half.
Duda's homer in the first was his first longball since Aug. 2, a span of 19 games. It ended a scoreless streak by Yankees starters at Citi Field at 21 2-3 innings, dating to May 28, 2013.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Yankees: RHP Nathan Eovaldi (elbow inflammation), shut down since last pitching Sept. 5, says he's feeling much better. He will play catch for first time on Monday.
Mets: Setup man Tyler Clippard wasn't available because his back tightened up when he was throwing pregame. He said he had treatment during the game and it loosened. He expects to be available Saturday but will know for sure when he sees how he feels in the morning.
WILD IDEA
Girardi doesn't like the one-and-done wild-card scenario used now in baseball. His preference: "My thought, it should be the best of three; you play Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and then your next series starts Thursday. So the penalty for not winning your division is you're going to play five days in a row."
UP NEXT
Yankees: Michael Pineda is 1-1 with a 5.82 ERA in four starts since returning from a forearm muscle strain. He's thrown 14 scoreless innings in two starts in NL ballparks, both with Seattle.
Mets: Noah Syndergaard is set to make his 22nd career start, the second straight Mets rookie to get the ball in this series. In 10 starts at Citi Field, he is 7-1 with a 2.15 ERA.
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