Mets 7 – Yankees 6
After David Wright swung and connected, he hopped as he headed to first.
With two out in the bottom of the ninth and Mets on first and second, Wright smashed a ball to deep center field off Mariano Rivera, and Johnny Damon had it go over his head for a walk-off single – and a Mets triumph in Game 1 of the 2006 Subway Series.
Wright’s RBI single against the Yankees’ star closer scored Paul Lo Duca as the Mets, trailing by four runs after the top of the first inning, fought back for a 7-6 victory before 56,289 in attendance at Shea.
With one out in the ninth and the teams tied 6-6, Lo Duca ripped a double into left field off Rivera, bringing up Carlos Beltran. The highest-salaried Met – facing perhaps the most valuable Yankee – went down swinging, and Rivera then intentionally walked Carlos Delgado to face Wright.
Game 2 today is the best pitching matchup of the weekend, with Pedro Martinez facing Mike Mussina.
The teams burst the Subway Series open in the first inning, scoring a combined seven runs. The Mets tied it 5-5 in the third inning and 6-6 in the fifth, but the bullpens were terrific, and the teams were scoreless until the ninth. Mets’ relievers – Darren Oliver, Aaron Heilman and Billy Wagner – did not allow a baserunner after the fourth inning.
Both starters last night were rocked; Jeremi Gonzalez give up six runs in three-plus innings, and Randy Johnson surrendered six runs in five frames. Over his past seven starts, Johnson has given up a Lima-esque 31 earned runs in his 372/3 innings.
The Yankees crushed Gonzalez in the first inning, hitting every ball hard and scoring four runs on five hits, including three doubles.
Damon, making his Subway debut, doubled to right to lead off, and Derek Jeter rocketed a hard single to left to drive him in. Jeter then stole second, and Wright came over to Gonzalez to offer encouragement. It ended up being pointless.
Jason Giambi walked, and Alex Rodriguez hit an RBI single down the left-field line before getting thrown out trying to reach second (he appeared to be safe). One out later, Robinson Cano and Bernie Williams both smacked RBI doubles to left-center for a 4-0 Yankees lead.
But Johnson, remarkably, nearly gave it all back in the bottom of the first.
The Big Unit has been getting blasted over the last month, and in the first, Johnson walked Jose Reyes and had Lo Duca bloop a single. Beltran then blasted a 95-mph Johnson fastball to left for a 410-foot three-run homer, the fans at Shea standing and fireworks blasting.
So after the first inning, it was 4-3 Yankees, with Gonzalez having thrown 32 pitches and Johnson 29 – not a strong pitching start to the Subway Series.
Before the bottom of the second inning, the Yankees – who have Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui on the disabled list – had Jorge Posada depart with, according to the Yankees, upper-back tightness. Kelly Stinnett, who replaced Posada, actually contributed to the Yankees’ next run in the third. With Rodriguez on first, Stinnett singled, and Cano’s sac fly made it 5-3.
Xavier Nady tied the game at 5-5 in the third on a 400-foot two-run homer to right-center. But Stinnett again delivered in the fourth, knocking an RBI single against Oliver. The Yankees left the bases loaded in the inning, though, and Kaz Matsui’s RBI single in the fifth tied it again, 6-6.