Yanks back Nova with 3-run first in 5-1 win

Ruth Roberts, who wrote the first version of the song "Meet the Mets" in 1961, died Friday at age 84. The Mets did a cool thing to honor her. Instead of the usual moment of silence, they held a sing-along to her famous ditty before the opener of the second go-round of the Subway Series at Citi Field.

Then the Yankees met the Mets. Not the 98-pound weakling Mets but the big-muscled Mets, who scored 52 runs in a four-game winning streak before getting cooled off Thursday in Detroit.

The Yankees technically were the hotter team, having won their last five. They remained so with a 5-1 win before 42,020, the largest crowd in Citi Field history.

Ivan Nova and six relievers held the Mets down despite allowing 10 hits, all singles. Mark Teixeira had a two-run double in a three-run first inning and Eduardo Nuñez had four hits on the eve of Derek Jeter's first rehab game for Double-A Trenton.

The Yankees -- who are 16-4 in their last 20 games -- won despite two hits from Jose Reyes, whom Alex Rodriguez called "the world's greatest player" before the game. Reyes was involved in perhaps the night's biggest play when he was thrown out at third on a controversial call for the second out of the seventh with the Yankees leading 3-1.

Reyes, who was on first when Justin Turner hit a long fly to center, tagged and took second with a headfirst slide. When Nuñez bobbled the throw in short center, Reyes took off for third. Nuñez was a little slow getting to the ball but then threw a strike to A-Rod, who tagged out Reyes. At least according to plate umpire Jerry Layne, who rotated over to make the call.

Replays seemed to indicate A-Rod missed the tag. Reyes' reaction -- he had to be held back by third-base coach Chip Hale -- strongly indicated his belief that no tag was made. Mets manager Terry Collins was ejected for arguing the point.

Rodriguez said he wasn't sure but thought he got Reyes "on a sleeve." Layne said, "I had him tagging him on the side by the belt/buttocks area."

Reyes was more definitive. "I didn't feel any tag," he said.

Collins absolved Reyes of the potential crime of over-aggressiveness. "You can't corral a guy who plays like that," he said. "Nine out of 10 times he's safe."

It might have been 10 out of 10.

"We caught a break there," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. He said he meant getting the out, not that Reyes was safe.

"That's a big part of the game," Girardi said. "It's 3-1 at that point. He's on second base. But all of a sudden he's erased at third."

Nova (8-4, 4.12 ERA), who may or may not have been pitching for his rotation spot with Bartolo Colon and Phil Hughes on the mend, allowed one run and seven hits in five innings.

The Yankees went ahead 3-0 five batters into the game against Jon Niese (7-7, 3.72). After singles by Swisher and Curtis Granderson, Teixeira lined a two-run double into the rightfield corner and scored on Cano's double into the leftfield corner.

The Mets slipped back to .500 at 41-41 and the Yankees went to a season-best 18 over at 49-31. So it wasn't actually an even fight to begin with, something Collins seemed to admit when he lamented the scheduling inequity that has his team playing the Yankees six times while the rest of the NL East plays them not at all. The Yankees have won three of the first four this year.

"It's exciting, it's fun, but it's not an exhibition," Collins said. "These stinkin' games count."