Christian Scott started for the Mets and delivered a solid performance on the mound. Aside from home runs by Austin Wells and Ben Rice of the Yankees, Scott was effective through six innings, striking out seven while allowing only three hits and two walks. Although he pitched well, he ended up with the loss.

Nate Lavender and Austin Warren also contributed strongly from the bullpen, each pitching scoreless innings and keeping the game close throughout the afternoon.

On the other side, Cam Schlittler was exceptional for the Yankees, holding the Mets scoreless through six innings while striking out eight and allowing just one hit. Brent Headrick and Paul Blackburn worked scoreless frames as well, and David Bednar secured the save against a Mets offense that struggled all afternoon.

The Mets managed only three hits throughout the game and went 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position, leaving five on base. Bo Bichette, Francisco Alvarez, and Brett Baty were the only Mets players to register hits, while the rest of the lineup went a combined 0-for-20.

Player of the Game: Christian Scott

Despite allowing two solo home runs, Christian Scott performed well on the mound for the Mets, nearly matching his opponent’s performance. He pitched for six innings, striking out seven batters and surrendering only three hits. Scott’s solid outing bolsters his case to be a reliable middle-rotation option for the team in the present and for the future.

On Deck

The Mets take the short bus ride from the Bronx back to Citi Field as they welcome old friend Pete Alonso back to Queens as his Baltimore Orioles start a three-game set Monday evening.

Jonah Tong (2-1, 4.80 ERA) looks to continue his progress on the mound as he will start for the Mets, while being opposed by Brandon Young (9-4, 3.71 ERA) for the Orioles. First pitch is at 7:10 pm ET and will be broadcast on SNY and Mets Radio 880.

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The game was littered with home runs, including a grand slam in the first by Brandon Nimmo and two home runs from Pete Alonso, who drove in five runs and led the Mets to a 12-6 win over the Yankees to secure a series win.

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Yanks appeared to have upside coming into Saturday, sending lefty Carlos Rodón (9-5, 3.17 ERA) to the mound to face the former Yankee Frankie Montas (0-1, 5.14 ERA). Yet, making his fourth start of the year, it appeared Montas had the better stuff from the get-go.

After Montas retired the Yankees first three in order, the Mets took the early lead in the bottom half of the first. Starling Marte kicked things off with a leadoff double. Four batters later, with bases loaded and one out, it was Nimmo for the second time in the week with a monster grand slam to right center field that cleared the bases and gave the Mets a quick 4-0 lead over the Yankees.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. answered back for the Yankees in the top of the second with a one-out solo home run to left field that made it a 4-1 game. But the Mets answered right back in the bottom half of the inning.

Tyrone Taylor reached on an error by Chisholm, leading to Marte coming through with his second base hit of the day, an RBI single to left field that scored Taylor to make it 5-1.

As the game of ping-pong continued, the Yankees answered once again in the third. This time it was the catcher Austin Wells who homered to right field to make it a 5-2 game.

Following a couple quiet innings for both teams, Alonso joined in on the home run party in the bottom of the fifth. With one on, he hit a two-run home run to extend the Mets’ lead to 7-2 over the Yankees.

No doubt about that! 🐻‍❄️🍎pic.twitter.com/6qkLCHRQSi

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) July 5, 2025

Despite being up five runs, the pinball continued as the Yankees answered back in the sixth. With two on, Cody Bellinger blooped an RBI double to left-center that scored two to make it a 7-4 game.

The very next inning, the Yankees struck again. Anthony Volpe got a solo home run against Richard Lovelady, narrowing the lead even more in the seventh to 7-5.

The Mets then responded right back in the bottom half of the inning and blew the lead wide open. It started with the sound of the crowd singing “My Girl” loud as Francisco Lindor hit an RBI single to get a run back and make it an 8-5 Mets lead.

Then with two on, Alonso came up and belted his second home run of the day deep to left field to make it an 11-5 Mets lead. His second homer got out in a hurry as three more Mets rounded the bases and blew the lead right open over their in-state rivals.

The Yankees got one back in the eighth off the back of an RBI double by Ben Rice as the extra-base hits continued between the two hard-hitting teams to make it 11-6.

But just as they had all day, the Mets punched right back against the Yankees. Juan Soto drove a long RBI single off the right-center field wall, extending the lead to 12-6 and securing a wide safety net entering the ninth.

The Mets held on to that lead as Edwin Díaz came in to close it out and secure the 12-6 win.

Like any Subway Series game, this one had fireworks and excitement. Between the two clubs, there were a total of 18 runs scored on 18 hits, including five doubles and six home runs.

For the Mets, Marte (2), Lindor (2), Alonso (2), and Nimmo (2) each had a pair of hits. The top five in the lineup all contributed with at least one or more run scored as the team from Queens took the Saturday victory. They will now look for a Sunday Subway Series sweep.

Player of the Game

The Metsmerized player of the game for Saturday is Pete Alonso. Alonso had a huge 2-for-4 day that included two home runs, five RBIs, and three runs scored.

On Deck

The Mets and Yankees close out their weekend series on Sunday afternoon at 1:40 PM EDT. It will be left-handed pitcher Max Fried (10-2, 2.13 ERA, 106 strikeouts) on the mound for the Yankees. Carlos Mendoza and the Mets have not yet announced their starter for Sunday.

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What may have been the biggest storyline of Díaz’s outing on Saturday was his increased velocity. His fastball velocity was up, on average, 2.0 mph, while his slider velocity was increased by 1.9 mph. He hit triple digits in the outing as well.

All of these aforementioned hard pitches came in the final at-bat of Saturday’s game against the best hitter in the league, Aaron Judge. Díaz dialed up his first fastball of the at-bat to 100 mph, which the hulking Judge fought off foul with two strikes. Then, the Mets’ closer came back with an elevated 98.6 mph fastball to get the Yankees’ slugger swinging for strike three and the final out in the Mets’ victory.

The strikeout of Judge wasn’t the only of Diaz’s perfect 1-2-3 ninth inning. Díaz also struck out the inning’s first batter, Austin Wells, on a foul-tip. Sandwiched in between the two strikeouts, Ben Rice awkwardly popped up to Brett Baty at third base.

On the season, Díaz now has now struck out 26 over 18 innings lowering his ERA to 3.00. This was after his ERA maxed out at 7.94 back on April 11. Over his last eight outings, Díaz has not allowed a run and has struck out 11. He has allowed a run only once over his last 13 appearances.

The underlying metrics are all once again sparkling for Díaz as well. According to Baseball Savant, Díaz owns an xBA, strikeout rate, and whiff rate all above the league’s 95th percentile. His hard-hit rate against, average exit velocity against, and xERA are all above the league’s 85th percentile.

Relying on a once against elite slider (.135 xBA, 44.8% whiff rate), Díaz has regained the form of one of the best closers in the game.

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The team from Queens won both games against the Yankees in the Bronx, sweeping the season Subway series for the first time since 2013.

In doing so, the Mets really proved their playoff credentials in a big way. There’s still a lot of baseball to be played, but the Mets, as is currently constituted, look legit. They could be even better with some more bullpen help.

New York is now in sole possession of the second Wild Card spot in the National League. The Mets are also just a game and a half behind the Braves.

Life is pretty damn good if you follow the team based in Queens right now. And, on that note, let’s dive right into the Subway Series edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…

Photo by Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

3 UP 

BRAGGING RIGHTS

Mets fans have had to watch their team live in the shadows of the Yankees forever. From the day dot, the Yanks have always had top billing in New York City. That’s just the way it has always been. But, after sweeping the 2024 Subway Series and with the once Evil Empire seemingly in downfall, the city belongs to the Mets for now. And we will savor that and enjoy that for as long as it lasts. What makes this success against the cross-town neighbors all the more sweeter is the fact that the Mets absolutely dominated the Yankees in four games, outscoring their rivals 36-14. These Mets look legit and now have the local bragging rights to boot.

MVP CONTENDER

If not for his infamous slow starts, Francisco Lindor may have the National League MVP already wrapped up. Okay, so that is being slightly hyperbolic. However, the point stands that Lindor is playing at an elite level right now, and he deserves to be in the MVP conversation. Period. The star shortstop went off against the Yankees on Wednesday night, blasting two home runs with five RBIs and two runs scored. Lindor is the straw that stirs the drink for the Mets offense. He’s hitting .256/.336/.464 with a .800 OPS, 19 home runs and 55 RBIs. Lindor is only the second player in baseball to have recorded at least 20 homers and 20 stolen bases, behind Shohei Ohtani.

Lindor also ranks third in fWAR (4.9) in the National League behind Elly De La Cruz (5.1) and Ohtani (5.3). Furthermore, Lindor’s eight outs above average ranks third among MLB shortstops. Granted, Ohtani is probably still the favorite to win the NL MVP once all is said and done. But, having elevated his game and carried this team since moving to the leadoff spot, Lindor deserves to be in the discussion at the very least.

CLUTCH HEROICS 

Most Mets fans, if not all, have probably cussed out Jake Diekman at some point this year. The lefty has not had a good year, to put it mildly. Entering the Subway Series, Diekman’s ERA stood at an ugly 5.28, while he had issued 23 walks. To make matters worse, Diekman was going up against a lethal two-headed monster in Juan Soto and Aaron Judge, armed with just a one-run lead on Tuesday night.

Well, baseball can be a pretty strange game. And we saw plenty of evidence of this in the ninth inning. Against all odds, Diekman was able to get the job done. Despite walking Soto, and with the tying run on base, he mustered his best stuff of the year to strike out Judge – and then retire Ben Rice – to end the game to the shock of all those inside Yankee Stadium. It was dramatic baseball at its very best. Furthermore, Diekman’s defiant staredown of Judge – one of the best hitters in the game – could go down as one of the defining images of the year if the Mets can accomplish something special this year.

Photo by Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

3 DOWN

MAN DOWN

The Mets have seemingly avoided the worst-case scenario with rookie starter Christian Scott. But that doesn’t mean the overall situation still isn’t bad. The young righty will be shut down for two weeks with a sprained UCL. Again, complete disaster avoided.

However, UCLs can be funny old things, and Scott’s return timescale will depend on how he responds to rest and treatment over the next couple of weeks. The Mets were already going to have to be careful with their young starter’s workload, and this setback raises the stakes. Tommy John surgery could still be an option, too. If Scott doesn’t respond well and needs surgery, that will put even more pressure on the returning Kodai Senga to help keep this rotation afloat.

NOT GOING THE DISTANCE

The reason why Scott’s absence – no matter how long or short – is so concerning is the fragile nature of the rest of the rotation. We don’t know what to expect from Senga. José Quintana has been up and down this year – he gave up another homer on Tuesday – and Sean Manaea continues to trend downwards. The veteran didn’t even last five innings on Wednesday, giving up a pair of homers and walking four. His lack of length meant an already taxed bullpen had to undertake a large chunk of the workload the rest of the way. Manaea has now given up 10 earned runs in his last three starts. Not exactly what you want from one of the key pieces of your starting rotation.

NIMMO STRUGGLES

It’s tough to pick three down in this situation, but Brandon Nimmo went 0-for-9 in the series. The Mets’ stud outfielder is only 2-for-25 with 13 strikeouts in the second half. Strikeouts are up for Nimmo this season, but the home runs and stolen bases are too. I’m willing to bet Nimmo will be just fine in the upcoming four-game series with the Braves.

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