Yankees fall to Mets, embarrass themselves in seventh straight loss
Gary Sanchez of the Yankees reacts after flying out to end a game against the Mets at Citi Field on Friday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Team Titanic pulled into Citi Field on Friday and continued what has become a remarkable plunge.
The Yankees, who had said all of the right things after what Aaron Boone appropriately called a "horrible" 1-6 home-stand, turned in arguably their most embarrassing performance of the season in a 10-3 loss to the Mets in front of 37,288.
The Yankees, who committed two errors that didn’t tell the entire story of how poorly they played defensively, have lost a season-high seven straight games and 11 of 13.
"I think we’re beyond frustrated,’’ DJ LeMahieu said. "But now’s not the time to point fingers. Everyone just needs to raise their game and collectively get out of it together."
Why believe this team will turn it around? "Probably because we’ve been the streakiest team in the league,’’ LeMahieu said. "One good game and it can turn in a hurry."
The Yankees scored a run in the top of the first — Brett Gardner tripled when Jeff McNeil tried to make a diving backhand catch of his sliced liner down the leftfield line but missed it, and Aaron Judge drove him in with a sharp grounder to second — but the tone for the game was set in the bottom of the inning.
After singles by Jonathan Villar and Michael Conforto, Javier Baez singled sharply to left with two outs. Third base coach Gary DiSarcina made an aggressive send, testing Joey Gallo’s arm, but Gallo’s perfect one-hop throw to Gary Sanchez was on line and in plenty of time. Villar started his slide late, which seemed to trick Sanchez, who had the plate blocked but moved to the side while applying the tag to Villar’s helmet as his foot touched the plate.
Plate umpire Ted Barrett called Villar out but the call was overturned after a nearly three-minute review, tying the score at 1. And if Yankees fans at that moment had a sinking feeling, they had good reason to feel that way.
"Obviously, he’s going to be out easy,’’ Boone said. "It’s a great throw by Joey. And I think he felt like he [Villar] was just, because he was so out, that he would pull up. Well, he [Sanchez] got out of his crouch and athletic position. In that spot where you’ve got a guy dead to rights, you’ve got to just lower your body, maybe initiate the contact, but remain athletic in your legs . . . It’s just a play where he needs to stay in his legs a little bit better."
Boone added, "We’re winning the game at the time, so it’s a little bit frustrating, and [Jordan Montgomery’s] obviously got to throw more pitches and stuff. So it’s a big play, it’s an important play. But you’ve got to deal with that over the course of a season, of a game. Things aren’t always going to go your way in a game. You’ve got to deal with it."
The Yankees were fortunate in that the Red Sox and Blue Jays also were beaten, leaving all three with 63 losses. Boston remained a game ahead of the Yankees and 1 1⁄2 games ahead of Toronto in the battle for the two wild cards, with Seattle and Oakland both another half-game back.
Montgomery allowed seven runs (five earned), seven hits and three walks in 3 1⁄3 innings.
His outing on this night came apart in a five-run third, an inning the Yankees actually entered with a 2-1 lead after Gallo’s 427-foot home run in the second.
Villar led off with a single, Francisco Lindor walked and a wild pitch allowed the runners to advance. Michael Conforto and Pete Alonso then walked to tie it at 2-2.
But the inning got worse. Far worse.
Baez sent a ground smash to third, where Gio Urshela made a nice stop and chose to throw home to Sanchez rather than try for a double play. His throw was wide left, Sanchez didn’t make much of an effort to catch it and Urshela’s error made it 3-2. McNeil then executed a perfect bunt to the first-base side of the mound for a single and a 4-2 lead. Kevin Pillar’s sacrifice fly and James McCann’s double made it 6-2.
"Didn’t make any big pitches when I needed to. Just have to flush it [this outing],’’ Montgomery said. " . . . I want to be a guy out there that’s pretty reliable. I’m going to have to get over tonight and be ready in four days."
In the fourth, Lindor poked an opposite-field homer down the line in right and Baez added an RBI double to make it 8-2.
In the seventh, Baez singled and Michael King hit McNeil and Pillar consecutively to load the bases. McCann hit what should have been an inning-ending double-play grounder to LeMahieu, but Gleyber Torres’ team-leading 17th error — a wild, high throw to first — plated two runs to make it 10-2.
Did Boone think his team came in unfocused? "No, I do not,’’ he said. "I think these guys are desperately trying to turn this around. I think they are committed to their process, to what they’re doing. We’re not getting results right now. We’re all [ticked] off about that. But as far as the intent and these guys’ focus, it’s there. We’ve got to play better."
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
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