Vientos slugs two homers, Mets hang on to beat Yankees in Subway Series

NEW YORK (AP) — Mark Vientos hit a pair of solo homers and the New York Mets held off a furious rally by the AL East-leading New York Yankees for a 9-7 win Tuesday night in the first Subway Series game of the season and their 11th victory in 14 games.

Vientos led off the second and fourth innings with home runs off Gerrit Cole (0-1) for the first multi-homer game of his career and became the 12th Mets player with at least two long balls in a Subway Series game.

Vientos had a chance to match Francisco Lindor’s three-homer game against the Yankees on Sept. 12, 2021, but hit into a fielder’s choice in the fifth and struck out in the seventh.

Harrison Bader and Brandon Nimmo also homered off Cole on fastballs clocked at 91 and 93 mph, respectively.

Cole lasted four innings in his second start of the season. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner was sidelined by right elbow inflammation in spring training. He gave up at least four homers and recorded no strikeouts for just the second time in 302 career starts.

The four homers by the Mets were one shy of their single-game record against the Yankees, set at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 13, 2018.

Dedniel Nuñez (1-0) tossed 2 2/3 innings of one-hit ball in relief of starter David Peterson as the Mets improved to 38-39.

Peterson allowed one run, walked five and struck out eight over 4 1/3 innings.

Juan Soto homered in the fifth and Aaron Judge added an RBI double in the seventh before the Yankees scored five times in the eighth on a pinch-hit single by Austin Wells and Judge’s seventh career grand slam. Reed Garrett retired Gleyber Torres on a groundout and then tossed a 1-2-3 ninth in a non-save situation.

Mets closer Edwin Díaz began a 10-game suspension Tuesday after being ejected against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday for having foreign substance on hand.

The Yankees (52-29) have won just one of last six series.

J.D. Davis, who played for the Mets from 2019-22 and was acquired by the Yankees from Oakland on Sunday, went 0-for-3 in his debut.

SAY HEY

The teams gathered along their baselines during a pregame video tribute and moment of silence in honor of Willie Mays, who died last week at 93. Mays played his final two seasons with the Mets and had his number retired by the team in 2022.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees: Soto stayed in the game after fouling a pitch off his back leg in the third inning. … Bickford was visited by a trainer in the fifth, when he took a Francisco Alvarez comebacker off his left hand.

Mets: RF Starling Marte (bone bruise on right knee) was placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to Sunday. He will be shut down from baseball activities for two weeks and is expected to miss at least a month. OF Ben Gamel was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse in the corresponding transaction. … RHP Kodai Senga (right shoulder) could begin a rehab assignment after throwing live batting practice Thursday. … RHP Sean Reid-Foley (right shoulder), who went on the 15-day IL on Saturday retroactive to June 20, was diagnosed with an impingement and could return after the minimum stay on the shelf.

UP NEXT

The first Subway Series of the season ends Wednesday when Mets LHP Sean Manaea (4-3, 4.16 ERA) opposes rookie Yankees RHP Luis Gil (9-2, 2.77).