QUEENS – It was only fitting that the Subway Series would end this way at Citi Field on Sunday night.
The Yankees were having their way with the Mets through the first two games and suddenly found themselves in a competitive fight with their own inefficiency mixed in with the Mets continuous putrid defense.
Leave it to Francisco Rodriguez to conclude the night of Mets Comedy Jam in the ninth inning with the Yankees leading 3-2 and seeking an insurance run.
With Derek Jeter at the plate and Mariano Rivera waiting on deck, Mets manager Jerry Manuel decided to play the safe bet of intentionally walking Jeter to pitch to the Yankee closer (after mysteriously throwing a strike on the first pitch) with the bases loaded. Rivera, making only his fifth Major League at bat (and second of the week) got ahead of the Mets closer 2-0 before an eventual full count while even taking a good hack and fouling off a pitch. On 3-2, Rivera took ball four on a pitch up and inside to drive home a run and give the Yankees a 4-2 lead that they would preserve in front of 41,315, a loud and significant portion of them Yankee fans.
Working a four out save, Rivera would set the Mets down in order to record the 500th save of his illustrious career as the Yankees swept their depleted rivals right out of Queens.
Rivera was brought in originally in the bottom of the eighth inning with runners on first and second, put on base after original setup man Brian Bruney walked David Wright and Fernando Tatis, mixed in with getting two outs, including a strikeout of rookie Fernando Martinez.
It was the Mets chance to tie the score in the game and weekend that saw them total three runs and nine hits over the entire series and never saw them even as much as tied with the Yankees. The batter was Omir Santos and after Rivera got ahead 1-2, the Mets catcher worked the count full to 3-2 with the crowd of both teams fans coming to their feet.
Rivera fired a cutter inside and Santos saw it catch the inside corner for a called strike three as he watched in disgust and the great closer quietly walked off the mound.
The 3 2/3 scoreless innings of one hit relief made a winner of starter Chien-Ming Wang for the first time since he severely injured his foot rounding third base at Minute Maid Park in Houston last June. Wang, in his fifth start since being inserted in the rotation worked a solid 5 1/3 innings before manager Joe Girardi took him out in the sixth inning for reliever Phil Coke.
While not showing the same electric stuff he had in Atlanta despite giving up three runs in five innings, Wang took advantage of the Quadruple-A Mets lineup and gave up only two runs and four hits in 85 pitches.
The Yankees provided the run support he would need in the first inning. After Derek Jeter (returning after missing the last two games with the flu) doubled off the wall to lead off the game, Nick Swisher would reach on a fielders choice when first baseman Daniel Murphy made the ill-advised decision to try and throw Jeter out attempting to advance to third base. Jeter was safe along with Swisher. Both runners would then score when Mark Teixeira drove them by lacing a double that stayed fair down the left-field line into the corner to make it 2-0.
After Alex Rodriguez walked and Robinson Cano was out on a force play, Jorge Posada’s sacrifice fly scored Teixeira to make it 3-0. Considering the Mets had only tallied one run over the first two games, three runs must have felt like thirty.
Mets starter Livan Hernandez would eventually pitch through the trouble (some not of his own doing) and gallantly battled his way through the Yankee lineup the rest of the night. He allowed only one hit over the next six innings. On a normal team, giving up three runs and three hits in 115 pitches (59 balls) would win you plenty of ballgames. The way the team from Queens is constructed, it is not good enough.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Mets got back into the game with a pair of runs. Gary Sheffield walked to lead off the inning and moved up to second on a ground out. The rookie Martine then doubled home Sheffield with a double off the left field wall that Melky Cabrera overran to make it 3-1. Luis Castillo followed with an RBI single to cut the Yankees lead to one run.
Wang rallied to retire five of the next six batters before Sheffield again reached in the sixth on an infield hit where the ball ricocheted off the glove of Wang on the ground allowing him to reach. Fernando Tatis grounded out and Girardi came into remove the right-hander for Phil Coke who struck out Martinez on a shoulder high fastball for the second out.
Girardi would then pull Coke for Phil Hughes to pitch to Santos, whom was pinch-hitting for Brian Schneider. With one pitch, Santos flied out softly to right to end the inning.
Staying in the game in the seventh inning, Hughes walked Castillo to lead off. Argenis Reyes attempted to sacrifice him over, but with Rodriguez being heads up, Castillo would be thrown out at second as the third baseman ran close in between home plate and the mound to field the bunt attempt, accurately throwing to second to gun down the lead runner. Murphy would ground out and Hughes finished the inning by striking out Alex Cora looking with a 95 MPH fastball down the middle to conclude the frame.
At 11 games over .500, the Yankees now sit three games behind the Red Sox in the AL East and finish the interleague season 10-8. They have won five games in row since dropping five of their last seven and three of four on the nine game road trip.
They also decisively won the Subway Series 5-1 over the Mets, outscoring them 33-3 over the last four games.
The Yankees will open up a seven game home stand beginning with the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night before meeting the Blue Jays for four games over 4th of July weekend.
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