Mets make statement in Subway Series
It’s never a dull moment whenever the Mets and Yankees duke it out, and this weekend’s edition of the Subway Series was no exception.
Friday’s series opener was the tamest of the three meetings. Cam Schlitter should have stolen the headlines for another dazzling display on the bump that has helped cement his place as a not-too-early Cy Young candidate. But that was overshadowed by an agonizing injury to Clay Holmes against his former employers. Holmes took a line drive from Spencer Jones off his right leg that fractured his fibula and will likely put him out until August. In a starting rotation that’s significantly underwhelmed so far this season, losing your best pitcher to coincide with a 5-2 loss to your bitter rivals is quite literally adding insult to injury.
A night like that could have easily derailed any momentum the Mets were trying to build up following a sweep of the Tigers. But the next 48 hours proved to tell a different tale.
The Mets bounced back with a 6-3 victory on Saturday, though the contest featured a comedy of errors on both sides. Carlos Rodon’s wild pitch followed by an errant throw to home allowed the Mets to take a 2-1 lead in the third inning. But four innings later, Carson Benge had a Luis Castillo-esque moment by dropping a routine fly ball that allowed the Yankees to get one run back and trail 5-3. They ended up loading the bases with nobody out and it seemed things were going to fall apart for the Mets yet again. But leave it to former Yankee Luke Weaver to get out of the jam and keep the Mets in front for good. The Yankees ended up leaving 11 runners on base and went 3-15 with runners in scoring position. That would come back to bite them in Sunday’s rubber match.
That was not the case in the sixth inning, however. The Bronx Bombers plated four in the inning, aided by another fielding blunder with a dropped pop-up from Bo Bichette to give them a 5-1 advantage. They would remain in front 6-3 heading into the final frame. With runners at first and second and down to their final out, the Mets conjured up some Subway Series magic thanks to a game-tying three-run homer from… Tyrone Taylor? Huh? The same guy who’s batting .177? I guess it shouldn’t come as a total surprise given how disappointing David Bednar’s been this year with his 4.95 ERA. No matter how hard the Yankees try, replacing Mariano Rivera has been quite the arduous task for the past 14 years.
The Yankees could have made amends in extra innings, but Austin Wells continued his slump by grounding into a double play in the first pitch of his at-bat. You just knew once that happened, the Mets were going to win. And win they did, courtesy of a Carson Benge walk-off fielder’s choice to atone for Saturday’s sins.
There’s no doubt that losing a Subway Series in that fashion that the Yankees did will no doubt swing. But I don’t believe this was a season-altering setback that can change the complexion of their campaign. After all, the real tests are coming up later this week when the Blue Jays and Rays roll into town.
On the flip side, this truly feels like a season-changing moment for the Mets. After an awful April where they went 7-19, things are starting to turn around in Queens with a 9-5 record in May. As brutal as that April stretch was and while they are still seven games back of a playoff spot, there’s still plenty of time for them to make the postseason. I firmly believe this result will act as a catalyst to propel them back to the playoffs.
Don’t believe me? Entering yesterday’s game, the Mets had lost 96 straight games (including in the postseason) when trailing heading into the ninth inning. The last time they had come back to win that late? Game 3 of the 2024 Wild Card Series. Yes, the same game that Pete Alonso famously hit a home run off Devin Williams to send the Mets to the NLDS. With Alonso in Baltimore and Williams suiting up for the both New York teams, it’s amazing how things can change in just a two-year span.
Sabres-Canadiens Game 7 preview
The two greatest words in the sports lexicon have come to fruition in Buffalo: Game. Seven. The Sabres and Canadiens do battle tonight for a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals. To see this series go the distance should come as no surprise due to how similar both teams are in terms of style of play and age, so it’s anyone’s guess as to who’s going to come out on top.
In terms of experience in these series deciders, the advantage in that department goes to Montreal. Not only did they take down Tampa Bay in the first round in seven games, their core featuring Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki also beat the Maple Leafs in the first round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs en route to making the final. As for Buffalo, their last playoff appearance in 2011 was also the last time a series went seven games, falling to the Flyers in round one. That being said, head coach Lindy Ruff coached in a Game 7 just three years ago, also in the first round, where he led the Devils to a 4-0 victory over the Rangers.
Another interesting dichotomy is how the road teams have had the advantage. Both teams are a combined 10-3 this postseason on the road and a combined 4-8 when on home ice. In this series, the road teams are 4-2. Buffalo will have to keep that same mentality they displayed in Game 6 and feel like their backs are against the wall, even though the home crowd will be supporting them this time around.
One of the biggest question marks will be who Ruff decides to put in goal. Alex Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukonen have swapped places multiple times throughout this series. UPL got the nod in Game 4’s 3-2 victory and made 28 saves in his first start in the series. In Game 5’s 6-3 setback, UPL was pulled after two periods after allowing five goals on 23 shots and Lyon was back in the fold. Lyon started Game 6, where he conceded three goals in the first four shots he faced. So back in went UPL, where he made 18 saves. He didn’t have to do too much with the way Buffalo was lighting the lamp. Seven unanswered questions forced a Game 7 with an 8-3 onslaught. Assuming UPL starts tonight, it’s safe to say Ruff will have him on a short leash if things don’t start off strong.
As I talked about in last week’s column, it will be quite the uphill battle for whoever takes tonight’s series decider. The Hurricanes have steamrolled through their first two opponents, sporting an unblemished 8-0 record and will be on 12 days’ rest when the Eastern Conference Finals get underway on Thursday. But if the Sabres can keep up this magical run? Anything is possible.
IAC baseball & softball championship recap
To say it’s been a busy past couple of weeks in Watkins Glen is an understatement. Two weekends ago saw NASCAR race at Watkins Glen International for the first time ever in May. Over at Watkins Glen High School, the IAC baseball and softball championships took place for the second straight year.
Even before those contests, there was a tiebreaker game to be played on the softball diamond for the IAC South Large Division title between Watkins Glen/Odessa-Montour and Thomas A. Edison. After splitting their regular season meetings in pitcher’s duels, the Storm jumped out to a commanding 8-1 lead after four innings. The Spartans got three runs in the fifth inning to get back in it and had the tying run at the plate in the seventh inning. But Paige Ells induced a groundout back to herself to end the game and seal the first division title for a Schuyler County softball team since Watkins Glen did so in 1997.
The last time they had won an IAC title was the year prior, also by Watkins Glen. That drought also came to an end as the Storm took down Lansing 7-6 in a Thursday thriller. It was a back-and-forth contest all game long. But with the game tied at 4-4 with two outs in the sixth inning, Amy Field drove in a pair of runs to give the Storm the lead for good. Field also starred in the tiebreaker game against Edison, going 4-4 at the plate, making multiple defensive plays and using her keen baserunning to leg out a Little League home run. Credit to the Bobcats for making things very interesting in the end, plating two runs but not being able to get across the tying run. The atmosphere of that game added to the drama on the diamond. Both teams were allowed to play their walk-up songs and the Schuyler Storm baseball team was out in full force. It was undoubtedly one of the most fun games I’ve covered this school year.
Earlier in the day, Union Springs and Tioga squared off in the IAC Small School championship. Both teams have made quite the habit of ensuring they face each other with an IAC title on the line. It was the sixth straight year they’ve met in the championship, which is a league record. Union Springs was the current holder of the title, and they successfully defended that trophy with a 13-2 victory. The Wolves quickly erased an early 1-0 deficit with a pair of runs in the second inning. What on paper was supposed to be a competitive game slowly turned into a Wolves rout as they avenged their season-opening defeat to the Tigers. Since then? 15 straight wins. Watch out for the Wolves as sectionals get underway later this week.
Friday’s IAC championship doubleheader started the exact same way Thursday’s softball double feature did: a Union Springs-Tioga matchup that ended comfortably in favor of the Wolves. Things actually started out close, unlike the Wolves’ 14-0 shutout of the Tigers in last year’s IAC championship and their 11-1 win in 2024. After a scoreless two innings, Union Springs and Tioga each plated two runs in the third inning to stay deadlocked. But things started to unravel for the Tigers as they struggled to throw strikes, and the Wolves’ keen eyes racked up 12 walks that helped them score some runs. They were also aided by two-run home runs from Lucas Witter and Kevin Kinnaman as the Wolves completed the three-peat with a 10-2 victory. Like Schuyler Storm softball, Union Springs also had to play a tiebreaker game in order to make IACs, where they defeated Moravia 8-2 on Tuesday.
In the Large School championship, Thomas A. Edison had to wait until the night before to find out who they would face. It would end up being Lansing as they blanked Trumansburg 11-0 in five innings behind a 13-strikeout no-hitter from Dasch Benson. The Bobcats kept the good times rolling against the Spartans as the number-eight hitter Aaden McMillen set the tone in the third inning with a three-run dinger to break the deadlock. More production from the bottom third of order including Brandon McMillen and Oscar Law combined with some brilliant pitching from Logan Mayo and Ryan Thompson resulted in a 10-1 victory for Lansing’s second IAC title in the last three years.
Other things that caught my eye
- Although Cornell men’s lacrosse’s season has already wrapped, a pair of recent alums are making headlines in the pros. In perhaps the least surprising news of the National League Lacrosse season, CJ Kirst was named Rookie of the Year after putting up 34 goals and 37 assists in just 18 games. To make his first box lacrosse season even more special, he helped the Toronto Rock topple the Halifax Thunderbirds win its first NLL title since 2011. Kirst teamed back up with Hugh Kelleher, who has racked up plenty of trophies over the past year. Not only was Kelleher a national champion for the Big Red and a newly-minted NLL champ, he also helped the New York Atlas win the Professional Lacrosse League title back in September. That’s one heck of a hat trick for a midfielder who doesn’t score hat tricks too often.
- It took a little bit of time, but the Knicks now know their opponent for the Eastern Conference Finals. The fourth-seeded Cavaliers eased past the top-seeded Pistons 125-94 on the road to take Game 7 and the series. Cleveland will only have one day of rest before the series gets underway tomorrow night at the Garden, while New York has had a full week’s rest longer. As I’ve talked about before, the Knicks have no excuses not to make the NBA Finals as they get set to face a surely-tired Cavs team who has been both their series this playoff run go the distance.
- The Section IV baseball and softball tournaments get underway later this week. Starting with baseball and with Class B, #4 Lansing once again faces #5 Thomas A. Edison, this time in the quarterfinals on Friday. #6 Watkins Glen/Odessa-Montour also earned a bye to the quarterfinals and will head to #3 Susquehanna Valley. #8 Spencer-Van Etten/Candor is in first round action on Wednesday when it hosts #9 Whitney Point. In Class C, Trumansburg is the top seed and will face either #8 Tioga or #9 Delhi in the quarterfinals. #4 Union Springs and #6 Moravia also avoid the first round and will face #5 Bainbridge-Guilford and #3 Unatego/Franklin, respectively. #7 Marathon hosts #10 Newfield in the first round, where the winner will play the defending champions #2 Deposit-Hancock.
- As for softball, all the local teams will have to wait until next Tuesday for their first matchups as they all earned byes to the quarterfinals. In Class B, #4 Lansing hosts #5 Windsor, #2 Watkins Glen/Odessa-Montour battles #7 Whitney Point, and #6 Spencer-Van Etten/Candor heads to #3 Thomas A. Edison. In Class C, #2 Union Springs will entertain either #7 Delhi or #10 Elmira Notre Dame, #3 Southern Cayuga’s opponent will be #6 Bainbridge-Guilford or #11 Seton Catholic, and #4 Moravia will take on either #5 Tioga or #12 Oxford.
