Shreve puts out fire, saves Yanks’ victory

Bonanza product cleans up Chapman mess

NEW YORK — Aroldis Chapman had flamed out, throwing three of 19 pitches for strikes and enabling the Mets to cut a four-run, ninth-inning deficit in half.

Chasen Shreve to the rescue. Yes, Chasen Shreve.

Maligned last month, the Bonanza High and College of Southern Nevada product entered with the bases loaded, got Devin Mesoraco to hit into a run-scoring, double-play grounder and retired Wilmer Flores on a slow roller in front of the mound.

With his second big league save and first since August 2016, Shreve preserved a 7-6 Subway Series victory Saturday that enabled Sonny Gray to win consecutive starts for the first time since the Yankees acquired him last summer.

“He didn’t even break a sweat,” Aaron Judge marveled.

Judge homered for the Yankees, who trailed after Michael Conforto’s second-inning solo home run but rallied against Steven Matz (4-8) with a four-run fourth that included Didi Gregorius’ tying triple, run-scoring doubles by Miguel Andujar and Greg Bird and Austin Romine’s RBI single.

Mets center fielder Matt den Dekker took a bad route as he missed a diving grab on Gregorius’ liner, allowed Bird’s drive to glance off his glove as he tried for a running grab on the warning track and had Romine’s blooper short hop off his glove during an attempted diving catch.

“Those balls are hit that hard, and you know the wind was moving around,” said den Dekker, who struck out three times and is hitless in 17 at-bats this season.

Gray (7-7) is 11-14 in 30 starts since the Yankees acquired him from Oakland last July 31. He allowed three runs, two earned, on three hits and three walks in 5⅓ innings.

Gray left with a 4-1 lead, but David Robertson gave up Amed Rosario’s RBI single in the sixth and then allowed another run on an errant pickoff throw.

Chapman reached 98 mph just twice — reigniting questions over the health of his left knee.

He walked Kevin Plawecki on a full count, gave up an infield hit to Rosario and consecutive four-pitch walks to pitch hitter Ty Kelly and Jose Reyes. Chapman hit Brandon Nimmo with a 2-and-0 pitch, and manager Aaron Boone summoned Shreve.

Mesoraco grounded a splitter to second baseman Brandon Drury, who stepped on the bag and threw to first as Kelly scored. Flores fouled off a 2-and-2 slider and then grounded out on a splitter.

“I don’t know if I had time to have my adrenaline kick in. It was over like that,” Shreve said, snapping fingers.

He had allowed runs in four of five appearances in mid-June, giving up three home runs. That caused him to change pitch selection.

“Just not being so splitter reliant, throwing my fastball more, using my slider some,” he said.

Julie Jacobson The Associated Press Yankees catcher Austin Romine greets reliever Chasen Shreve after the Bonanza High product recorded the final three outs of a 7-6 win over the Mets on Saturday.