HICKS’ HR CAPS 5-RUN RALLY, YANKS BEAT METS
NEW YORK (AP) » Aaron Hicks capped a five-run rally with a tying two-run homer off Edwin Diaz in the seventh inning, Gio Urshela singled in the winning run in the eighth and the New York Yankees beat the crosstown Mets 8-7 in the opener of a doubleheader Sunday.
The Yankees trailed 7-2 with two outs in final inning of the seven-inning game before rallying against Jared Hughes and Diaz.
“Usually you don’t win many of those, but they just continued to battle and put up good at-bats there in the end,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
Mets third baseman Andrés Giménez made a throwing error, and Hughes walked a batter and plunked another to load the bases before Luke Voit hit a check-swing, two-run single against the shift to pull within 7-4.
Another run scored on Diaz’s wild pitch before Hicks lined a two-out, 3-2 fastball just over the wall in right for his third homer of the season.
“All of a sudden you know the table’s set for something strange to happen there,” Boone said. “For us to have Hicksie up there against Diaz, not that anyone’s a good matchup for Diaz, but he’s a good shot there with his ability to handle the heater and he put a good swing one big on one.”
It was the first time the Yankees scored five or more runs in the ninth inning to at least tie a game since July 16, 2000 against Philadelphia, the Elias Sports Bureau said.
Chad Green (3-2) struck out the side to strand the Mets’ automatic runner in the top of the eighth, and Urshela lined Diaz’s 0-2 pitch to right to score Mike Tauchman
from second. Tauchman beat a close throw at the plate and the run was upheld following a brief video review.
Urshela played for the first time since Wednesday due to a bone spur in his throwing elbow. He entered as a pinch-hitter in the fifth and remaining in the game.
Green overpowered the Mets two days after allowing three homers in the sixth in the opener of Friday’s doubleheader.
“Not surprised to see Greenie bounce back like that,” Boone said.
Diaz’s meltdown was his second rough outing since Seth Lugo was moved to the rotation. On Wednesday he blew a lead for Jacob deGrom in the eighth inning before exiting with cramping in his left leg.
“We still trust him,” Mets manager Luis Rojas said. “We still love his stuff. And that’s when he’s going to get the ball, when there’s tight situations.”
Robinson Cáno hit a tworun homer in the fifth to give the Mets a 4-2 lead. The Mets added three runs in the sixth when Michael Conforto hit a two-run double and Pete Alonso was hit by a pitch.
Alonso and Wilson Ramos also added RBI singles for the Mets, who were one out away from getting their third win of the five-game series.
The Yankees won their second straight following a seven-game losing streak that was their longest since June 2017.
Rookie Michael King allowed two runs and six hits in 3 2/3 innings in his second career start.