Yankees 5, Mets 2, and if you turned this one off after the third inning you didn't miss much.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. lined a two-run double off Clay Holmes in the top of the third to push the lead to 3-0, and that was mostly that. The New York Yankees took Game 1 of this Citi Field series on a breezy 66-degree May night, 40,004 Mets fans watching Cam Schlittler hold their lineup to two hits and one run across 6.2 innings.
The Turning Point
Holmes had already given up an RBI double to Cody Bellinger -- with Aaron Judge on second base after a catcher interference call (some guys just find ways to get on base) -- when Chisholm stepped in with men on second and third. Jazz doesn't overthink these moments. He lined the first pitch he liked to center, both runs scored, and the Mets were already down 3-0 with a lot of game left to claw back.
They weren't clawing back from that. Holmes got the loss (now 4-4), giving up four earned runs in 4.1 innings. The fastball was flat, the Yanks were locked in.
Same Old Jazz
Jazz finished 3-for-4 with a double (his 8th), a walk, a stolen base (his 12th), a run scored, and 2 RBI. He also got picked off at first by Craig Kimbrel in the ninth -- which is honestly on-brand for Jazz, who seemed to be treating that at-bat like extra credit after the game was already won. (No notes on the rest of his evening.)
The third-inning double swung win probability by 16.5 points in the Yankees' favor -- that's the boring number, but it captures how settled this game felt from that moment forward. Chisholm's been building something real this year, and when he's locked in like this he's as fun to watch as anyone in this lineup.
Schlittler's Night
Cam Schlittler's been one of the better stories in this rotation, and he added another chapter Friday. Six and two-thirds innings, 9 strikeouts, 1 earned run, gameScore of 72. His only real blemish was Juan Soto's solo shot to center in the seventh -- Soto's 6th of the year -- which cut it to 4-1. That's just Soto doing Soto things, and Schlittler knew it.
Fernando Cruz came in with two on and two outs in the seventh (Baty had walked, Semien had singled, the inning was suddenly breathing again), and Cruz got A.J. Ewing to fly out to end the inning. The whole threat died right there. That's the hold that matters -- Cruz has been money in those spots.
David Bednar closed it in the ninth, not exactly without drama. Soto walked to start the inning and things felt shaky for about 15 seconds. Then Mark Vientos grounded into a double play -- Chisholm to Volpe to Rice, a full Yankees infield sequence -- and that was the game. Brett Baty singled home Melendez to make it a cosmetic 5-2 with two outs, and Marcus Semien lined out to third.
The Rest of the Story
Ben Rice went 3-for-5 and hit his 14th home run off Kimbrel in the ninth -- solo shot to right-center with the game already decided, an exclamation point more than a factor. Rice is turning into a real presence at first base, and 14 home runs before June isn't a small thing.
Anthony Volpe drew three walks. He won't show up in anyone's game-of-the-night tweet, but three walks out of the 8-hole and a run scored -- he's building something quietly and it's worth paying attention to.
Spencer Jones added a pair of hits and drove in the Yankees' fourth run with a single in the fifth, scoring Chisholm. The whole lineup contributed. Ten hits, four walks, none of the offensive stagnation that's plagued some of their road trips this spring.
Looking Ahead
Yankees are 29-17 and up 1-0 in this three-game series at Citi Field. If this version of Jazz Chisholm keeps showing up over the weekend, it's going to be a long few days for a Mets team that dropped to 18-27 on the year.
Jimmy writes the Bronx Pinstripes game recap after every Yankees game. Beat-reporter pacing, fan's heartbeat. He calls opposing players by last name and has no patience for dead-air innings.
