The New York Yankees opened the Subway Series with a win Friday night, using a strong start from Carlos Rodón and some early offense to defeat the New York Mets 6-4 at Yankee Stadium.
Rodón continued his impressive work, allowing two runs, only one earned, on three hits over a season-high 6.1 innings. The left-hander struck out eight and gave the Yankees a quality start while keeping the Mets from generating much offense early.
Nolan McLean, meanwhile, endured one of his roughest outings of the season in his first Subway Series start at Yankee Stadium. The rookie right-hander surrendered five earned runs on a career-high 10 hits over five innings, with five strikeouts and one walk.
The Yankees struck first in the opening inning when Spencer Jones delivered a run-scoring single after McLean loaded the bases with two singles and a walk. The Yankees then broke the game open in the second.
After Anthony Volpe and Ben Rice reached with two outs, Cody Bellinger launched a three-run home run into the right-field seats. The blast came on a hanging curveball and marked the first home run McLean has allowed on the pitch during his major league career.
Rice added another run in the fifth with a solo home run to right field, his third hit of the night. The Yankees finished with 13 hits, including three each from Rice and Luis García Jr.
The Mets continued to threaten late but repeatedly left opportunities on the table. They loaded the bases in both the seventh and eighth innings but managed only one run in each frame.
Brent Headrick escaped the seventh by catching a Francisco Lindor line drive, while David Bednar ended the eighth after Marcus Semien’s sacrifice fly.
A.J. Ewing’s ninth-inning home run pulled the Mets within two, and Lindor followed with a single. Juan Soto then came to the plate as the potential tying run, but the former Yankee grounded into a game-ending double play.
The teams meet again Saturday at 1:35 p.m. Gerrit Cole is scheduled to start against the Mets’ Zac Thornton.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.