Then, with one Pete Alonso misstep, the wheels came off.
The Yankees scored on a throwing error by the Mets’ first baseman in the eighth inning, then added five more runs to win 8-2 and win the Subway Series.
After the game, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza blamed Alonso for the wayward toss.
Pete Alonso accepts blame.
The Yankees and Mets were knotted 2-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning on May 18, with the Yankees putting runners on second and third.
Alonso fielded a strong ground ball from youngster Jorbit Vivas and looked to home after Yankees outfielder Jasson Dominguez broke on contact.
Alonso appeared to have time to beat Dominguez, but his throw flew to the backstop as the Yankees scored the game-winning run.
After the game, Mendoza thought Alonso could have gotten Dominguez out with a stronger throw.
“From my point of view, a good throw would’ve had him,” Mendoza told The Athletic.
Alonso, who has been playing at an MVP level through the first seven weeks of the MLB season, was not attempting to avoid the criticism. He blamed himself for both the play and the loss.
“I messed it up,” Alonso said. “I just made a terrible throw. That entire inning, this game, is on me. This one is completely on me.”
Yankees Break Game Open After Pete Alonso Error
Vivas entered the game as a defensive substitute, but he ended up battling throughout his eighth-inning at-bat. He said to reporters after the game that he was simply trying to make contact with Mets reliever Ryan Stanek.
“He’s throwing 100 miles, so I don’t want to do too much,” he explained to the New York Daily News. “I just want to put the ball in play and help the team.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone praised the rookie, but believes Dominguez might have scored even if Alonso’s throw was on line.
“What an AB, man,” Boone commented. “You could see him adjusting. On the third or fourth pitch, you could feel him ease in. You could feel him settling down.
“We get a break with the throw, although, I don’t know, Jasson was coming down that line so fast.”
Alonso’s throwing error opened the door for the Yankees, whose bats had been largely restrained until the eighth inning. Following another RBI single by Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger came up with the bases loaded and smashed a grand slam off Mets starter Genesis Cabrera.
Despite a heartbreaking loss in the Subway Series, the Mets maintained a half-game lead over the hot Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East. The Mets fell to 29-18, tying the Los Angeles Dodgers for the most wins in the National League.
The win extended the Yankees’ AL East advantage over the Boston Red Sox to 27-19.
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