 | CONNELL GRANGE SUPPLY WHERE THE CUSTOMER IS STILL THE COMPANY |
|
Printable Page
05/17 19:17 CDT Tyrone Taylor and Carson Benge rally Mets to Subway Series win
over stumbling Yankees
Tyrone Taylor and Carson Benge rally Mets to Subway Series win over stumbling
Yankees
By RONALD BLUM
AP Baseball Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --- Carson Benge crossed first base and the rookie raised both
arms in triumph after driving in the winning run for the New York Mets in the
10th inning for the second time in five days.
Anthony Volpe tumbled to the infield grass after crashing into Yankees teammate
Max Schuemann, who had gloved Benge's two-hop chopper behind the mound, a
collision that allowed Marcus Semien to slide across home plate without a throw.
"Once it went over the pitcher's head I kind of knew," Benge said.
Tyrone Taylor tied the score with a three-run homer off All-Star closer David
Bednar with two outs in the ninth, Benge hit the game-ending bouncer an inning
later and the Mets stunned the New York Yankees 7-6 on Sunday to take two of
three from their crosstown rival in their Subway Series at Citi Field.
"He's like 20 years old, hitting a bunch of walk-offs," the 32-year-old Taylor
said as he walked by the 23-year-old Benge to address the postgame media scrum.
The Mets had lost 91 consecutive games when trailing after eight innings since
Pete Alonso's three-run homer off Devin Williams led them to victory at
Milwaukee in the deciding Game 3 of their 2024 NL Wild Card Series.
While the banged-up Mets (20-26) improved to 10-5 in May despite missing
injured regulars Francisco Lindor, Francisco Alvarez, Jorge Polanco and Luis
Robert Jr., the Yankees (28-19) completed a 2-7 trip going into a seven-game
homestand against AL champion Toronto and AL East-leading Tampa Bay.
"Guys are playing tough and making the plays they need to but just coming up a
little bit short," Yankees captain Aaron Judge said. "We've got to have a short
memory, move on and get ready ... because we've got a big division opponent
coming in."
Brought back from the minor leagues on Tuesday after fellow shortstop Jos
Caballero broke a finger, Volpe hit a tiebreaking, two-run single and drew a
bases-loaded walk for his first RBIs this season. That helped the Yankees build
leads of 5-1 in the sixth and 6-3 in the seventh, closing in on what would have
been their first series win at Citi Field since 2018.
Benge and Bo Bichette started the ninth with singles off Bednar. Juan Soto
grounded into a forceout, Mark Vientos struck out and Taylor drove a
first-pitch hanging curveball 404 feet, just inside the left-field foul pole.
"I didn't know it was going to stay fair," Taylor said. "I kind of waited there
to see if it would."
Teammates mobbed Taylor when he returned to the dugout, smiling wide and still
wearing his wraparound sunglasses as they put the team's celebratory orange
construction helmet on his head and added the matching hi-visibility vest.
With the score 1-all in the fifth, Taylor pinch hit with two outs and runners
at the corners and was robbed by center fielder Trent Grisham, who sprinted in
for a tumbling catch. Taylor then lined out to Schuemann just in front of the
left-field warning track in the seventh.
Because of those two drives, Benge thought Taylor was due for a big hit in the
ninth.
"I kind of blacked out for him," Benge said. "I had a feeling. I didn't tell
him but I had a feeling, and to be able to see that was so sick."
Bednar blew a save for the second time in 12 chances and has a 4.95 ERA. He has
allowed runs in six of his last nine appearances.
"Overall it's unacceptable, especially in that spot," Bednar said. "It's just
very frustrating."
Williams (3-1), now with the Mets, got Austin Wells to ground into an
inning-inning double play in the 10th.
Tim Hill (0-1) relieved Bednar starting the bottom half and A.J. Ewing moved
Semien, the automatic runner, to third with the first sacrifice bunt of his
professional career. The Yankees brought in Schuemann from left to form a
five-man infield, and Luis Torrens --- whose pinch-hit, two-run double had cut
the deficit in the sixth --- was hit by a pitch.
Benge's chopper bounded off the plate and bounced high before landing midway
between the mound and second base. Schuemann, positioned to the right of
second, gloved the ball off a short hop and was about to throw to catcher
Austin Wells when Volpe barged into his right shoulder, knocking Schuemann off
balance.
"A no-man's land there," Volpe said. "We're both just trying to make a play on
the ball."
Semien was about halfway home when Schuemann gloved the ball. By the time
Schuemann regained his balance, there was no reason to throw.
"With Timmy on the mound, it's more than likely going to be a ground ball in
that situation," Schuemann said. "It's just one of those things that we're both
going to be aggressive to that baseball no matter what. We both want to make a
play."
The Mets won their second straight game in which they dropped a flyball,
allowing a run to score. Bichette ranged from shortstop and allowed Grisham's
sixth-inning popup in short left field to bounce off his glove, a day after
Benge dropped Cody Bellinger's fly for his second misplay in right of the
homestand.
"We get down. We get punched in the face. We get back up," Mets manager Carlos
Mendoza said. "Today was a perfect example when, like I said, we didn't play
our best game and we still are able to shake hands at the end."
___
AP freelance writer Jerry Beach contributed to this report.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
