Saturday, September 12, 2026 • 1:35 PM
Yankee Stadium • Bronx, NY
LHP Zac Thornton (3-5, 3.53) vs. RHP Gerrit Cole (8-8, 3.41)
SNY • MLB Network

The Mets tried to claw back Friday night, but ultimately the Yankees were able to keep them at bay. This afternoon, rookie Zac Thornton will try to get the Mets back in the win column against Gerrit Cole. The Yankees are now on a four-game winning streak, but they are still three games out of the division lead. The Mets look to start another win streak this afternoon. They are now only one game above fifth but still only three games out of third place.

Zac Thornton vs. Brewers

Mets Lineup

  1. Francisco Lindor – SS
  2. Juan Soto – DH
  3. Bo Bichette – 3B
  4. Carson Benge – RF
  5. Jared Young – 1B
  6. Marcus Semien – 2B
  7. A.J. Ewing – CF
  8. Luis Torrens – C
  9. Nick Morabito – LF

Starting Pitcher: Zac Thornton

Zac Thornton has made 12 starts this season, totaling 66 1/3 innings with a 3.53 ERA, 4.49 FIP, 1.191 WHIP, and a 117 ERA+. He is coming off of a rough start against the Giants, where he allowed six runs over five innings from four home runs. He has now given up eight home runs in his last five starts and has allowed a total of 11 on the season. His 1.5 HR/9 is definitely being influenced by his last start, but it’s not a stat you want going into a game against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. This will be Thornton’s first start against the Yankees, and no one on the Yankees roster has faced Thornton while on other teams.

Opposing Lineup

  1. Paul Goldschmidt – 1B
  2. Aaron Judge – DH
  3. Cody Bellinger – LF
  4. Heliot Ramos – RF
  5. Amed Rosario – 3B
  6. Spencer Jones – CF
  7. George Lombard – SS
  8. Anthony Volpe – 2B
  9. Austin Wells – C

Gerrit Cole has made 19 starts this season totaling 111 innings with a 3.41 ERA, 3.70 FIP, 1.090 WHIP, and a 124 ERA+. He’s in a bit of a rough stretch recently, allowing 10 runs from 20 hits, including five home runs over his last 18 1/3 innings pitched (4.91 ERA, 5.72 FIP). The Mets have the following Career stats against him:

Game Notes

  • The Mets are 21-13 since the trade deadline. Their .618 winning percentage is tied for the fifth-best mark in the majors during that span, and tied for the third-best mark in the NL. They are batting
    .256/.326/.439 with a .765 OPS. Their .439 SLG ranks second, while their 51 home runs rank tied for second and their .765 OPS is fourth in the Major Leagues in that span.
  • A.J. Ewing has reached base safely in each of his last 10 games, batting .432 (16-37) with eight runs, three doubles, two homers, nine RBI, four walks, two steals, a .476 OBP, a .676 SLG, and a 1.152 OPS. He has collected multiple hits in four of his last five contests, going 11-20 in that span.
  • The Mets are in a stretch of six straight and nine of 13 games against the American League. New York is 20-20 against the AL this season, sporting a 3.94 ERA, while batting .242/.307/.408.

Three Things To Watch For

  1. A.J. Ewing. Ewing is just hitting the cover off of the baseball right now. He has reached base in 10 consecutive games, going 16-for-37 at the plate with three doubles, two home runs, and four walks (.432/.476/.676). Before Friday night’s game, we noted that with a good night he could push his OPS back over .700, which is exactly what happened. He’s now sitting with a 3.0 bWAR in his rookie season, with 11 hits in his last five games.
  2. Juan Soto. I forgot how much Yankee fans booed Juan Soto last season at Yankee Stadium. Yankee fans did not, and they let Soto have it Friday night. This will probably continue throughout the weekend, hopefully, Juan Soto can put on a show today.
  3. Home runs. Gerrit Cole has allowed six home runs in his last four starts and has a 1.4 HR/9, a bit above his 1.0 HR/9 career rate. Zac Thornton has allowed eight homers in his last five starts and has a 1.5 HR/9. The Yankees are second in the league with 201 home runs. The Mets are eighth with 182. Yankee Stadium is second in the league with a 118 park factor for home runs over the last three seasons. It may be a great day to see some long balls!

Let’s go Mets!