Alonso, Smith, and Rosario power a doubleheader sweep in The Bronx

Game 1

The Mets hitters looked to be sleeping through another quiet doubleheader game, and then they sounded the alarm in the sixth.

Pete Alonso walloped a game-tying three-run home run to center field in the sixth inning, wiping away five innings of Yankees domination and jolting a recently punchless Mets offense. Three batters later, Dom Smith and Jake Marisnick went back-to-back, Smith with his team-leading seventh home run of the season and Marisnick with his first, giving the Mets a 6-4 lead.

The injury-ravaged Yankees started only three regular players in game 1, but got all their production early out of leadoff hitter Luke Voit and second hitter Clint Frazier. Voit and Frazier combined to go 5-6 with four runs, double-handedly spoiling Mets starter Michael Wacha’s otherwise impressive performance.

The Yankees opened the scoring in the bottom of the first with an RBI double from Frazier, who later scored on a Wacha wild pitch. Frazier followed in the second inning with a 2-run home run to the right field porch, scoring Voit and giving the Yankees an early 4-0 lead.

Wacha pitched hot-and-cold in his first start off the IL, giving up four runs on six hits but also striking out seven batters in his three innings pitched. The Mets batters provided no support, however, only reaching base twice in the first four innings.

Yankees starter Jordan Montgomery pitched five effective innings, giving up three runs on five hits and flummoxing Mets batters early on. Montgomery earned his season-high fifth strikeout of the game on only his sixth batter faced, finishing his start with a new season-high of six strikeouts.

Despite Wacha’s struggles through the first three innings, the Mets bullpen shut down the Yankees in the last four, sending out Walker Lockett, former Yankee Dellin Betances, and Edwin Diaz to close out the game. The trio gave up only two hits in the final four innings, holding the Yankees offense down as the Mets bats took the lead.

The Mets scored their first run in the fifth inning without recording a hit, with Dom Smith reaching via a hit-by-pitch, advancing to third on a double-error by Yankees third-baseman Miguel Andjuar during the next at-bat, and scoring on a wild pitch by Montgomery.

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Box Scores

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What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: Dom Smith, +29% WPA
Big Mets loser: Michael Wacha, -26% WPA
Mets pitchers: -3% WPA
Mets hitters: +53% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Pete Alonso home run, +30.3% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Clint Frazier home run, -12.5% WPA

Game 2

Amed Rosario saw only one at-bat in the second half of the doubleheader, and he made it count as his two-run pinch-hit home run walked off the Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

After hitting the go-ahead home run in game 1, Dominic Smith opened the scoring with a two-out RBI single in the first inning, though he promptly ran into the third out of the inning caught in a rundown between first and second base.

The Yankees tied the game in the bottom of the third with an RBI single from catcher Erik Kratz and took the lead with an RBI single by Aaron Hicks. Mets starter David Peterson struggled through the third inning, giving up three runs on three hits and three walks to a Yankees lineup decimated by injuries.

Jeurys Familia entered the game in the fifth inning and immediately found himself in trouble walking Luke Voit to lead off the inning. A Miguel Andujar groundout got Familia out of the bases-loaded two-out jam, as he put up a scoreless fifth striking out two Yankees batters. Brad Brach followed Familia’s scoreless inning with a 1-2-3 inning of his own, giving the Mets the chance they needed in the seventh.

McNeill walked to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning and was quickly replaced by Billy Hamilton. Hamilton was then caught in a rundown between first and second base but made it safely to second on a poor throw by Voit. Pinch-hitting for Luis Guillorme, Rosario rendered the stolen base moot, as both he and Hamilton trotted home to give the Mets a walkoff win away from their home stadium.

Both teams observed Jackie Robinson Day for game 2 of the doubleheader as every player wore the number 42 in honor of Robinson. Jackie Robinson Day, which usually takes place every year on April 15th, was moved to August 28th this season in recognition of the day Jackie Robinson and former Brooklyn Dodgers executive Branch Rickey began negotiations for Robinson to play in MLB.

Further adding to the quirkiness of the seven inning game was the Mets status as the home team, as the game was played as a make-up of last weekend’s postponed game at Citi Field. Though the Mets wore their away jerseys, they leveraged their rightful last ups and won the game before the Yankees had a chance to respond.

SB Nation Game Threads

Amazin’ Avenue
Pinstripe Alley

Box Scores

MLB.com
ESPN

Win Probability Added

FanGraphs

What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: Amed Rosario, +57% WPA
Big Mets loser: David Peterson, -23% WPA
Mets pitchers: -12% WPA
Mets hitters: 62% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Rosario walk off home run, +56.9% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Thairo Estrada single, -13.4% WPA