The New York Mets dropped the first Subway Series of the season in painful fashion Sunday night, falling 8–2 to the rival Bombers at Yankee Stadium.
Though the scoreboard shows a lopsided result, the crosstown showdown was tightly contested for most of the evening.
With the game tied 2–2 entering the bottom of the eighth, a six-run explosion by the Yankees turned the tide – and it all started with a costly defensive miscue from Mets first baseman Pete Alonso.
With one out and runners on second and third, Alonso fielded a grounder and made the aggressive decision to throw home in an effort to cut down the lead runner.
But his throw sailed over catcher Francisco Alvarez, allowing the Yankees to break the tie and open the floodgates.
Alonso, who has long been considered a defensive cornerstone for the Mets, shouldered the blame postgame.
“I mean, yeah, I messed it up,” Alonso said. “I had an identical play yesterday… yeah, I just made an awful throw. That whole inning, this game, it’s on me. After that throw, the momentum got out of hand, and they had really good at-bats. Yeah, this one’s on me.”
While Alonso’s mistake proved most damaging, it wasn’t the only defensive lapse of the game for the Mets.
Mark Vientos misplayed a ground ball in the first inning that led to an early run for the Yankees. Still, it was Alonso’s throw that swung the game decisively.
“That’s a play I usually make, and I can make pretty routinely, but I had my feet set and I just didn’t get my fingers on top of the baseball, and it sailed on me. Bad throw on me, and this one’s 100% on me,” Alonso continued.
“I think today just came down to one play, and that’s me messing that one up. Because I think if we get out of that inning, I feel like we’re gonna give ourselves a good chance to win that ballgame. Then it just got out of hand.”
The Yankees capitalized immediately, stringing together a series of quality at-bats to extend the lead beyond reach.
The outburst sealed the Mets’ fate in what had been a tense and competitive matchup until that moment.
Despite the crushing mistake, the Mets won’t have much time to regroup. They’re headed straight into a three-game set against the Boston Red Sox starting this evening.
Needless to say, Alonso and the team will hope to bounce back quickly – and cleanly.
What are your thoughts on the exciting and eventful weekend in the Bronx? … Was this an early World Series preview???
