The Mets' Brett Baty, left, and the Yankees' Oswaldo Cabrera.

The Mets' Brett Baty, left, and the Yankees' Oswaldo Cabrera. Credit: Getty Images; AP

Brett Baty hit a home run in his first big-league at-bat. Oswaldo Cabrera picked up his first big-league hit and then another one in his second game in the majors. 

But the major leagues are not easy. Baty, the Mets third-base prospect, went into Tuesday night’s Subway Series game at Yankee Stadium with three hits and six strikeouts in his first 24 at-bats (.125) in seven games. 

Cabrera, the Yankees’ versatile infielder/outfielder, went into the evening with three hits and nine strikeouts in his first 22 at-bats (.136) in six games. 

Still, both rookies’ managers are singing their praises, and both were in the lineup for the Subway Series finale. Baty was at his usual third-base spot. Cabrera started in rightfield after starting at second base on Monday (and at third base, shortstop and right in previous games). 

“I was thinking last night – I do kind of step back and take in the moment – I was wondering what was going through Brett’s mind,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said. “Two weeks ago, he’s in Syracuse and now he’s sitting in this environment. We think that the environment’s as good if not better at Citi Field. Just thinking about what’s going to go through his head there on Thursday. I try not to talk too much to him and cloud his . . . he’s got enough challenges going on.” 

Showalter said his only advice to Baty is “to make sure he gets plenty of sunscreen in day games. He’s a pretty pale guy.” 

Baty will make his Citi Field debut on Thursday night when the Mets host the Rockies. Showalter said he expects Eduardo Escobar to come off the injured list on Friday or Saturday, so the Mets will have to decide if they’ve seen enough from Baty to keep him on the roster. Or they may think the 22-year-old would benefit from more seasoning at Triple-A Syracuse, where he played only six games after moving up from Double-A. 

“It’s actually easier, I think in some ways, to get here than it is to stay here,” Showalter said. “He’s going to be a good player. It’s not if, it’s when. He’s been good for us already. He’s helped us. It’s been fun to kind of see the game through his eyes a little bit.” 

Said Baty: “I’m trying to go out there and compete on every single pitch, on every single AB. I feel like my ABs to this point have been really competitive. These past few games, the hits haven’t been falling. . .  I’ve loved every minute of it so far. I’m just going to go out there and be myself and try to get Ws for the New York Mets.” 

Baty said he has settled in after some pregame jitters before his debut on Aug. 17 in Atlanta. 

“Definitely that first game, I was a little nervous leading up to getting on the bus,” Baty said. “Right away when I got on the bus with the guys, it felt like a normal game, felt like a normal day. Definitely now, I’m feeling a little more comfortable for sure, just going out there and playing in front of 40,000 every night. It’s pretty awesome and it gives you the energy to get locked into every pitch.” 

Cabrera, 23, has fit right in defensively with the Yankees at each of his positions (with the exception of a dropped pop-up in short rightfield on Monday when he went out from second and didn’t give way to rightfielder Marwin Gonzalez). 

Manager Aaron Boone said Cabrera has been swinging the bat better than his numbers indicate. 

“What I’m looking at tells me he’s got a chance to impact the ball,” Boone said. “I feel like those at-bats have kind of been there. Hopefully he starts to get some results with it. That’s always nice. But he’s got a maturity about him and confidence about the way he goes about things. I think he’s got a really good head on his shoulders, so we’ll see. It’s obviously way early in his career and hopefully he can start to get some results.” 

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