NEW YORK — The schedule makers at Major League Baseball got it right this year, arranging the Subway Series to take place during the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. After an emotional pregame ceremony before Friday’s series opener, it took no time at all for the melancholic sentiments to flip.
The Yankee Stadium PA announcer began his pregame introductions, revealed Juan Soto was batting second and playing left field, and over 40,000 fans vociferously booed the former Yankee like he should be shortlisted as the biggest traitor in American history.
And we were off.
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The Yankees (86-63) are in the middle of a pivotal stretch run, attempting to pass the Tampa Bay Rays and win the AL East. The Mets have nothing to play for in another lost season, but they didn’t mind spoiling the Yankees’ fun.
In the end, the Bronx Bombers took two out of three from the Amazins, but they’re still four games behind the Rays for the division title. The Mets, who’ve been on a roll since the trade deadline, showed glimpses of their future potential throughout the hard-fought weekend.
Let’s dive into four takeaways from a special Subway Series in the Bronx.
1. Gerrit Cole Has A Home Run Problem
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Once upon a time the Yankees ace, Gerrit Cole can officially pass that torch to Cam Schlittler after yet another disappointing outing. Cole was able to complete just 4 ⅓ innings on Saturday against a Mets team that’s only competing to avoid finishing in last place. Worse still, the veteran right-hander has allowed seven home runs in his last 11 ⅓ innings pitched — and his whiff rate has gone way down.
Cole’s 24.6% strikeout rate is the lowest it’s been since 2017 with the Pirates (23.1%). His home run rate (4.2%) is tied for the highest of his career in a full season. With Schlittler, Max Fried and Carlos Rodon all dealing and performing well in the stretch run, it’s fair to say Cole is the biggest concern on the Yankees’ starting staff as we approach October.
“A straightforward observation is that the hitters are seeing the ball well and able to deliver good strikes to it, regardless of the pitch type or really the location,” Cole said when asked why he’s struggled with the long ball. “This is one of those times in the season where you gotta start making adjustments. Sometimes adjustments are hard, but that’s the demand of the game.”
Even though Cole has a 5.96 ERA in his past four outings (22.2 innings pitched), he’s had a solid season overall in his return from Tommy John surgery. The 36-year-old owns a 3.67 ERA and has recorded 117 strikeouts in 20 starts and 115 ⅓ innings this year, his most innings pitched since 2023. In that context, it’s logical to presume that Cole’s arm might just be taxed at this stage of the season. When asked, Cole refuted that idea and said he feels healthy. He maintained he just needs to make an adjustment between starts, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone reiterated that if there’s anyone he’s not concerned about, it’s Cole.
Still, with only two weeks remaining in the regular season, this is the worst time for Cole to start spiraling. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman did not pick up a single pitcher, starter or reliever, at the trade deadline, in part because of his trust in veteran arms like Cole. The 2023 Cy Young award winner has to figure out a way to turn it around – and fast — because giving the ball to the bullpen after abbreviated outings is not a strategy for success.
2. Yankees’ Volatile Bullpen Is Concerning
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Right-hander Paul Blackburn, who has recently climbed up the ladder in Boone’s circle of trust, has been fading of late. He loaded the bases and allowed a run to score in the seventh inning Friday before Boone called on left-hander Brent Headrick to secure the final out of the inning. Then Headrick, who is also one of the few high-leverage arms in New York’s bullpen, copied Blackburn’s shaky performance and loaded the bases with one out in the eighth.
The Yankees had no choice but to go to their closer, David Bednar, for a five-out save — against a Mets team that is arguably the most disappointing club in baseball this season. Bednar got the job done, albeit after allowing a leadoff home run to Mets outfielder A.J. Ewing in the ninth, which cut the Yankees’ lead to two runs. Bednar has been outstanding this season, sporting a 2.66 ERA and 34 saves in 59 appearances. It’s the rest of the relief corps that has a ton of questions right now.
Even though the Yankees pulled out a win in the series opener, it’s concerning that their leads are never safe with a bullpen this volatile, particularly with their lack of reliable high-leverage arms. Right-hander Fernando Cruz was Boone’s go-to set-up man before he hit the injured list with a partial tear in his right UCL at the end of August. Cruz is trending toward avoiding surgery, but it’s still a long shot he’ll return this season.
There’s help on the way. Right-hander Clarke Schmidt is nearing his return from a second-career Tommy John surgery. He could join the Yankees as soon as their next road trip. Left-hander Ryan Weathers (left forearm flexor strain) is also expected back before the regular season wraps up. Both Schmidt and Weathers are likely to shift into the bullpen in October, and the Yankees have no choice but to cross their fingers and hope they’ll have a smooth transition and clear up some of the relief concerns.
3. Thornton Emerges As Promising Young Mets Arm
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One of the most prolific hitters in the sport was up at the plate, and Mets starter Zac Thornton didn’t so much as flinch. In the first inning, ahead on an 0-2 count against Aaron Judge, Thornton challenged the reigning AL MVP with a 95.5 mph fastball up and in. It was the hardest pitch Thornton has thrown this season. Judge froze and watched the heater sail right past him for strike three.
The Mets rookie southpaw kept up that same energy and aggression all day Saturday in the Mets’ dominant 12-2 win over the Yankees. Thornton delivered seven strong innings and allowed just two earned runs on five hits, while striking out four batters and walking one on just 81 pitches. The Yankees were impressed with the 24-year-old’s talent.
“He does a really good job of maintaining a quick tempo, attacking different parts of the zone, keeping the guys off balance,” Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones said. “I think he just did a good job of limiting hard contact and preventing guys from getting on early, and he had a lot of success today.”
When it looked like Thornton was tiring in the seventh after putting two men on base, Mets manager Andy Green walked to the mound and Thornton told him to leave him in, he’d get out of the inning. Sure enough, Thornton got Anthony Volpe to ground into a double play to escape the inning unscathed.
Saturday’s outing, Thornton’s 13th start of his major-league career, was a fantastic bounce-back effort after he allowed six earned runs in five innings to the Giants his last time out. Afterward, Thornton said: “I think I shine when my back’s up against the wall. I try to rise to the occasion.”
Thornton joins the list of emerging young Mets arms alongside right-handers Nolan McLean and Christian Scott as promising options for next year’s rotation. It’s a good thing, too, because Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns is going to have a hard time finding a reliable starter on this winter’s free agent list — beyond the top available arm in Tarik Skubal. In order to seriously contend next season, Stearns and the Mets need their trio of young starters to take the next step forward as soon as 2027. Thornton is the latest Mets pitcher who looks like he’s up for the challenge.
4. Judge Still Looking For His Timing
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The Yankees lineup sure is glad the best hitter on the team is back from the injured list. The difference in performance from the top of the lineup, especially, was noticeable.
With Judge’s presence looming in the heart of the order, the surrounding batters got better pitches to hit throughout the Subway Series, and the Yankees capitalized. As encouraging as the Yankees offense was throughout their six-game homestand against bottom dwellers like the Rockies and Mets, it was just as evident that Judge is still looking for his timing.
That’s expected.
Judge returned from the IL on Tuesday after a three-plus month layoff due to a fractured right rib. He was completely shut down from baseball activities for the majority of that layoff, and only recently started ramping up and facing live pitching. Judge opted to forgo a rehab assignment so that he could return to the lineup and help out the Yankees in their pennant race. Instead of recapturing his timing in the minor leagues, Judge is still searching for it in the majors. Making that task more difficult, the Yankees stuck to their plan for Judge and pulled him early from some games, while completely giving him an off day in another.
The 34-year-old slugger is 3-for-14 with one walk, one run scored and six strikeouts in four games since coming off the IL. He’s still searching for his first home run, RBI and extra-base hit since May. He still has some time to look like himself at the plate, but the Yankees would prefer if Judge could find his timing at least by the time they host the Rays in a crucial four-game series in the Bronx next week.
When I asked Judge if he felt like he was still in a spring training ramp-up, he said, “I don’t have time for a spring training-type ramp-up. I have to turn it on soon here. And I will.”