As expected, it was a classic pitching matchup.
Justin Verlander (New York Mets) and Gerrit Cole (New York Yankees), two of the greatest aces of the 21st century, pitched side-by-side in their first matchup in eight years.
The two teams played Game 2 of the Subway Series at Citi Field in the Queens borough of New York City on Friday. For the home team, Verlander pitched six innings of three-hit ball with six strikeouts and one run, while Cole pitched six innings of four-hit ball with eight strikeouts and one run.
Verlander, who threw 107 pitches, topped out at 96.3 mph on his fastball (38) and averaged 94.4 mph on his offspeed pitches, and threw more sliders (40) and curves (29) than usual. In 95 pitches, Cole topped out at 99.2 mph on his fastball (64) and averaged 97.0 mph.
Verlander maintained his 2-3 record and lowered his ERA slightly to 4.40. Cole improved to 7-1 with a 2.75 ERA.토토사이트
The first time these two faced off was nearly eight years ago on July 1, 2015, at Comerica Park. At the time, Verlander was a major league ace with the Detroit Tigers, while Cole was a young ace with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Cole allowed two runs on nine hits and six walks in 6⅔ innings for the visitors, while Verlander allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and five walks with three strikeouts in six innings for the home team. Both were “no-decisions. The game went to 14 extra innings before Pittsburgh won 5-4. The game lasted a whopping five and a half hours. Both aces remember that game as a battle of a lifetime.
They were teammates on the Houston Astros in 2018 and 2019. Cole signed a nine-year, $324 million deal with the Yankees in December 2019 and Verlander left Houston as a free agent last winter for two years and $86.66 million.
Yankees’ Jose Trevino runs to third base on Anthony Volpi’s sacrifice fly in the sixth inning. USATODAYYahoo!
The 0-0 balance was broken by the Mets’ offense in the bottom of the fifth. Cole, who had pitched a perfect fourth inning, gave up a leadoff double to Francisco Lindor. On a 1B1S pitch count, Lindor pulled a three-pitch 80-mph curveball over the right-center field fence for a two-run double.
Cole then got Francisco Alvarez to fly out to right field and Brett Batty to strike out swinging to get out of the jam. But with two outs, Tommy Pham crushed Cole’s second 97-mph fastball over the right-field fence for a two-run double, scoring Lindor and giving the Yankees the lead.
But the Yankees quickly tied the game in the top of the next inning. After a leadoff double by Jose Trevino and a single to right field by Anthony Volpi, Jake Bauers lined a 94-mph five-seam fastball from Verlander into right field to drive in Trevino and tie the game.
After Cole tossed a scoreless seventh, the Yankees bats broke the game open with two runs in the top of the seventh against Mets reliever Jeff Brigham. Josh Donaldson led off with a walk and Anthony Rizzo singled to put runners on first and second. One out later, shortstop Lindor picked up Isaiah Kainer-Palepa’s grounder and threw to second baseman Jeff McNeil to load the bases, but McNeil’s throw to first allowed Donaldson to score. Kainer-Palepa then stole second, advanced to third on a throwing error by the catcher, and scored on a home run off Billy McKinney to make it 3-1.
But the Mets rallied, too. With the Yankees pulling Cole and sending Cordero to the mound, the Mets rallied in the bottom of the seventh with a leadoff single to left by Alvarez, a single to left by Pham, a walk to Mark Vientos, and a bases-loaded walk to Brandon Nimmo, who got a throwing error on a ball from reliever Ron Marinaccio that allowed Alvarez to score, and Starling Marte’s RBI single to left in the ensuing at-bat to tie the game at 3-3. Cole’s start had been blown.
The game was decided in 10 extra innings. With one out in the bottom of the 10th, Nimmo hit an up-the-middle double to score Escobar from second. The Mets won 4-3.
The Mets avenged the previous day’s loss to improve to 32-36, good for fourth place in the NL East, while the Yankees remained in third place in the AL East with a 39-30 record.