NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge connected off Max Scherzer for his major league-leading 47th home run, Andrew Benintendi drove in two runs and the New York Yankees withstood a botched popup by rookie Oswaldo Cabrera to beat the Mets 4-2 Monday night for their first Subway Series win this season.
The Yankees, in a historic skid with 14 losses in 18 games coming into this matchup in the Bronx, built a 3-0 lead on DJ LeMahieu’s first-inning sacrifice fly, Judge’s home run off Scherzer (9-3) in the second and doubles by Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Benintendi in the fifth.
With this just a two-game set, the Yankees ensured they would end a streak of six straight series losses, their worst since 1995. They also posted back-to-back wins for the first time since July 29-30.
Domingo Germán (2-2) was cruising with a three-hitter when Pete Alonso hit a popup that Cabrera and right fielder Marwin Gonzalez settled under just 221 feet from the plate.
Cabrera, making his first big league start at second after appearances at shortstop, third base and right, allowed the ball to pop out of his glove for an error as Gonzalez’s leather hit his mitt, a play reminiscent of Luis Castillo's ninth-inning drop that turned the first Subway Series game at new Yankee Stadium in 2009.
Daniel Vogelbach, with 6-inch streaks of eye black across his face, followed two pitches later by driving a curveball into the Yankees bullpen in right-center for a two-run homer that made it 3-2.
Benintendi restored a two-run lead in the bottom half with an RBI single after Kiner-Falefa reached on an infield single and took second when shortstop Francisco Lindor made a barehand pickup of a bouncer and rushed a sidearm throw wide of first for an error.
Germán (2-2) gave up two runs — one earned — in 6 1/3 innings.
Rookie Ron Marinaccio got four outs around a walk and Jonathan Loaisiga finished with four outs in a row for his first save since Aug. 17 last year, earning loud cheers from a season-high crowd of 48,760, the Yankees’ ninth home sellout this season.
Scherzer allowed four runs for the second straight start, raising his ERA from 1.93 to 2.33 in the two outings. He gave up seven hits in 6 2/3 innings.
Judge got his 103rd RBI, moving one ahead of Alonso for the major league lead.
The Mets had swept a pair of games from the Yankees at Citi Field last month.
Judge was 2 for 11 with seven strikeouts against Scherzer and in a 4-for-32 slump overall before lofting a 95.7 mph fastball for an opposite-field drive into the right-field seats. Judge hit a fly to deep right in the fifth and Scherzer turned his head, apparently thinking it was a home run, only to look back and see the ball caught by Starling Marte on the warning track.
DEGROM
Jacob DeGrom had an issue while warming up before his last start and was pushed back from a Subway Series outing against the Yankees. He will instead pitch against Colorado on Thursday or Friday. The two-time NL Cy Young Award winner is 2-1 with a 2.31 ERA in four starts since a year-long layoff caused by an elbow injury last summer and a stress reaction in his right scapula this spring. He threw 95 pitches last Thursday in a 3-2 loss at Atlanta.
PLUNKED
Brandon Nimmo and Benintendi were hit by pitches leading off the first, the first time since April 17, 1926, the Yankees and their opponent opened with a hit batter. Washington’s Alex Ferguson hit Mark Koenig and New York’s Sad Sam Jones hit Sam Rice.
HEADING BACK
Anthony Rizzo took off from first, forcing a pickoff throw from Scherzer, after LeMahieu’s sacrifice fly but was send back because umpires ruled the ball was still dead. The Mets then appealed at third, but umpires ruled Benintendi did not leave early and had scored to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead.
BYE FOR NOW
Mets LHP Nate Fisher was designated for assignment, a day after pitching three scoreless innings in his major league debut, a year after returning to the minors after a spell as a financial analyst at a Nebraska bank. The Mets also designated LHP Rob Zastryzny for assignment, optioned RHP José Butto to Triple-A Syracuse and selected the contract of RHP Connor Grey from the Triple-A farm team.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Mets: C Tomás Nido was activated from the IL has been reinstated from the IL. He had been sidelined since Aug. 13 for an unspecified reason, which usually is COVID.
Yankees: DH Giancarlo Stanton, sidelined since July 23 because of left Achilles tendinitis, anticipates returning to the Yankees’ lineup on Thursday when New York starts a trip at Oakland. ... RHP Scott Effross was placed on the 15-day IL, retroactive to Sunday, with a strained right shoulder. RHP Clarke Schmidt was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
UP NEXT
RHP Frankie Montas (4-10, 3.87) is 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in three starts since the Yankees acquired him from Oakland. Mets RHP Taijuan Walker will pitch for the first time since Aug. 16 at Atlanta after overcoming back spasms.
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