NEW YORK (AP) – Carlos Beltran hit a three-run, second-deck home run on a 100 mph fastball from Noah Syndergaard in the first inning, Michael Pineda pitched his best game in two months and the New York Yankees beat the Mets 5-0 Saturday to rebound from an opening loss in the weekend Subway Series.
Brian McCann added a two-run homer in the sixth, the Yankees’ 200th home run this season, to quiet the sellout crowd of 43,630 at Citi Field on a sunny late-summer afternoon.
Hoping to reach the postseason for the first time since 2006, the Mets started the day eight games ahead of second-place Washington in the NL East.
Trying to reach the playoffs after their first two-year absence since the early 1990s, the Yankees began the day 4 1/2 games behind AL East-leading Toronto but four games in front of Houston for the first AL wild card.
Pineda (11-8) had struggled since returning from a month on the disabled list caused by a right forearm strain. He allowed four singles in 5 1-3 innings to win for just the second time since the All-Star break.