January 1, Yankees Infielders Collide in Moment That Sent Mets Fans Into Total Frenzy

Wyatt’s Take

• The Mets pulled off a stunning comeback victory in the Subway Series, erasing a three-run ninth-inning deficit to beat the Yankees 7-6 in extra innings
• Yankees infielders Anthony Volpe and Max Schuemann collided chasing a routine grounder in the 10th, gifting the Mets the game-winning run in a defensive meltdown
• The Yankees’ road struggles continued as they stumbled to a dismal 2-7 record on their nine-game trip, with closer David Bednar collapsing under pressure

The New York Mets stole the first Subway Series of the season from the Yankees in dramatic fashion Sunday afternoon at Citi Field. And it came down to one moment that Yankees fans will want to forget.

The Mets had runners on first and third in the bottom of the 10th inning with one out and rookie Carson Benge at the plate. Benge hit a chopper over Yankees reliever Tim Hill’s head into shallow center field.

“Once it went over the pitcher’s head I kind of knew,” Benge said after the game.

That’s when disaster struck for the Bronx Bombers. Yankees infielders Anthony Volpe and Max Schuemann collided trying to make what should have been a routine play, but neither could come up with the ball. Marcus Semien raced home to score the game-winning run in a 7-6 Mets victory.

The collapse was complete. The Yankees had carried a comfortable 6-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning.

But Tyrone Taylor came to the plate with Benge and Juan Soto on base. With two outs and the Yankees on the verge of escaping Queens with a win, Taylor crushed a pitch to left field off David Bednar to tie the game. It was Taylor’s third home run of the season.

“I didn’t know it was going to stay fair,” Taylor said. “I kind of waited there to see if it would.”

The momentum had completely shifted. The Mets’ heroics continued into the next inning with the walk-off miscue.

The loss capped a brutal stretch for the Yankees, who went 2-7 on their nine-game road trip. They now return home for a seven-game homestand against American League East rivals the Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays, desperately needing to right the ship.

“Guys are playing tough and making the plays they need to but just coming up a little bit short,” Yankees slugger Aaron Judge said. “We’ve got to have a short memory, move on and get ready … because we’ve got a big division opponent coming in.”

For closer David Bednar, the collapse was personal. He blew a save for the second time in 12 chances, and his ERA ballooned to 4.95.

“Overall, it’s unacceptable, especially in that spot,” Bednar said. “It’s just very frustrating.”

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza praised his team’s refusal to quit, even when they were three outs away from defeat.

“We get down. We get punched in the face. We get back up,” he said. “Today was a perfect example when, like I said, we didn’t play our best game and we still are able to shake hands at the end.”

Wyatt Matters

There’s something fundamentally American about baseball — the grind, the comebacks, the moments where everything can change on a single play. This game reminded us that no lead is safe and no game is over until the final out. The Yankees learned that lesson the hard way, and the Mets showed the kind of grit that wins championships. That’s the kind of never-say-die attitude that built this country.