Alonso and McNeil both homer twice as Mets rout Rockies 13-5 for season sweep
DENVER (AP) — Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil each hit two of New York's six home runs, and the Mets routed Colorado 13-5 on Sunday to sweep the major league-worst Rockies for the second time in a week.
Brett Baty and Francisco Alvarez also went deep for the Mets, who completed a 5-2 trip and finished 6-0 against Colorado (12-53) this season. They moved a season-best 18 games over .500 at 42-24 and opened a 4 1/2-game lead in the NL East over skidding Philadelphia.
Juan Soto went 3 for 3 with three walks and three runs on a perfect day at the plate, reaching base six times in a game for the first time in his career.
The first baseman has 243 career homers, passing David Wright for second place in franchise annals — nine behind Strawberry.
McNeil connected leading off the second inning and added a three-run shot in the fourth for his third career multihomer game. Alonso went deep in the third and eighth to give him 17 homers and 61 RBIs this year.
The previous time New York hit six home runs in a game was 2021 in Baltimore.
Alonso and McNeil both finished with three hits and four RBIs. Alvarez also had three of New York's 17 hits.
Tylor Megill (5-4) allowed two runs over five innings to win for the second time in his last eight starts. Paul Blackburn worked four innings for his first major league save.
Rockies rookie Chase Dollander (2-6) was tagged for five runs and eight hits in three innings. Colorado has lost eight straight to the Mets.
Key moment
With the bases loaded in the fifth, Megill retired Hunter Goodman and Thairo Estrada to limit damage and qualify for a win.
Key stats
Soto had his second three-hit game of the series. ... McNeil also doubled to match his career high with three extra-base hits. ... Alonso raised his batting average to .301 and has 18 RBIs in his past eight games. He began the day leading the majors in RBIs.
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New York Times
36 minutes ago
- New York Times
Red Sox pound Yankees with 5 home runs to win series in New York
NEW YORK — After a walk-off win last Wednesday, the Boston Red Sox had a big, three-game trip looming to face the New York Yankees in the Bronx. 'They're all big (wins),' manager Alex Cora said last week. 'But it starts in New York. We've just got to go over there and win the series.' The way the Red Sox have played this season, one step forward and two steps back on repeat, Cora's words seemed like another pie-in-the-sky optimistic proclamation, something a manager says because he has to. Advertisement But Sunday night, his words became reality as the Red Sox took two of three from New York, trouncing the Yankees 11-7 in the finale on the strength of five home runs and a solid performance from their rookie starter. It marked just the fifth time in a regular-season road game against the Yankees that Boston homered five or more times, but their first since 2010. 'Overall, a good weekend,' Cora said. 'Some kids played in this environment for the first time, and they played loose. They did a good job. And now we just got to be ready for tomorrow.' Even in their loss Friday, when Walker Buehler was pounded for seven runs (five earned) in two innings of work, the Red Sox offense made a game of it before losing 9-6. Saturday, Garrett Crochet wasn't his best but still kept New York in check as Boston's lineup showed up again, posting 10 runs in a win. Sunday, the Red Sox were determined not to waste the weekend. Yankees starter Carlos Rodon held the Red Sox to one hit through the first four innings before Ceddanne Rafaela drew a two-out walk in the fifth and Kristian Campbell turned the tide with a two-run shot to tie the score at 2. Hey KC, thanks for the new ballgame! — Red Sox (@RedSox) June 9, 2025 The next inning, Boston's bats exploded for five runs. Rodon hit Rafael Devers, then walked Rob Refsnyder before Carlos Narváez made him pay with a three-run shot to left to push the Red Sox ahead 5-3 and force Rodon's early exit. With a 2.49 ERA to start the night, the five runs Rodon allowed tied a season high. He had given up four runs only once in his previous nine starts. The Red Sox kept at it and loaded the bases before Jarren Duran hit a two-run single to make it 7-3. Jarren makes it a 5-run inning! — Red Sox (@RedSox) June 9, 2025 In the eighth, Abraham Toro and Trevor Story hit back-to-back solo homers to pad Boston's lead, and in the ninth, Devers clubbed a solo shot to give the team some necessary insurance against a dangerous Yankees lineup. The thing you should know about Raffy is he's so good at baseball. — Red Sox (@RedSox) June 9, 2025 'The Campbell (homer) was huge. The Narváez one, that was huge,' Cora said. 'Here, no lead is safe. Raffy, Toro, we take them all, but those two swings were huge for us today.' Campbell, who's been struggling at the plate, had a 2-for-3 night, adding to a two-hit night from Saturday. His tying homer in the fifth marked his first home run since April 29. Advertisement But Narváez's go-ahead shot had even more significance. The catcher whom the Red Sox acquired from the Yankees in a trade this winter returned to Yankee Stadium for the first time this weekend. The 26-year-old rookie, who appeared in six games for New York last season, has emerged as a force behind the plate for the Red Sox while also taking on an important role in an injury-depleted lineup. He was anxious to perform well in his return to New York. GO AHEAD, NARVI. — Red Sox (@RedSox) June 9, 2025 'I was in my head a little bit to bunt there, to be honest,' Narváez said of that point in a tie game with two runners on. 'I talked to (third-base coach Kyle Hudson) and was like, 'OK, I'm just going to be aggressive,' and then that happened. Just happy I found some barrel, and then we came back and won the game.' With Alex Bregman on the injury list, Cora has started to hit Narváez in the cleanup spot to take advantage of how well Narváez is hitting. 'The at-bat is good; it's really good,' Cora said. 'It just happens, right now, he's hitting in the middle of the lineup. In a perfect world — we don't live in one — he should be hitting seventh for us and making this a deeper lineup. But I think we're hitting our stride. The production from Romy and Toro has been amazing. 'Like I said before the game, these are the 26 guys that we have (on the roster), and we're going to maximize the roster and use it to our advantage. And it was a good weekend.' Meanwhile, on the mound, Hunter Dobbins held New York in check over five innings, allowing three runs. It marked the first time in over a week that the Red Sox received back-to-back starts of five innings or more, after Crochet's six innings Saturday. 'He was good,' Cora said. 'Gave us enough. We've seen a trend with him in the fifth, sixth inning — the stuff ticks down — so give us five. We move on to the bullpen, and we got 27 outs.' 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New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Yankees had a chance to bury Red Sox's season but failed: 3 takeaways
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Ben Rice led off the game with a single, and Aaron Judge followed by blasting a 436-foot opposite-field two-run home run. Judge said the only player he could remember saying something similarly to Dobbins' comment was Ken Griffey Jr., who repeatedly stated throughout his career that he would never play for the Yankees. Judge said Dobbins' remark was in his head when he stepped in the batter's box in the first inning. 'I was a little surprised,' Judge said. The Judge sentenced this ball to exile. #AllRise — New York Yankees (@Yankees) June 8, 2025 But to Dobbins' credit, he settled in after Judge's blast. Dobbins held the Yankees to just four hits and three runs across five innings. Boston manager Alex Cora took Dobbins out after just 64 pitches because he did not want the rookie facing the top of the Yankees' order for a third time. Chisholm posted 'free smoke' on his Instagram account before Sunday's game, referencing the free motivation the Yankees would have from Dobbins' comments, but the only smoke in the Bronx came from Boston's bats. They hit five home runs and won 11-7, taking two of three games from the Yankees this weekend. This was the first time Boston won back-to-back games since May 24. The Yankees could have buried the Red Sox's season this weekend. Boston entered this series sputtering and dealt with constant cries from the fan base to call up No. 1 prospect Roman Anthony to provide a spark, but it leaves New York with a bit of momentum after falling behind in the division by 10.5 games after Friday night's loss. It's still a long shot for the Red Sox to win the AL East, but being down 8.5 games rather than potentially 12.5 games is quite the difference. Advertisement 'They beat us here this weekend,' Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. 'It's part of it. We'll regroup into the off day. 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Advertisement Don't look now, but DJ LeMahieu has a 103 wRC+ entering the Kansas City series. I did not see him being much of a positive contributor, considering his concerning downward trajectory over the past few seasons. Now it is a small sample (69 plate appearances), but the Yankees will take any positive contribution from him that they can get. He's now 9 for his last 21, including a double and a home run over his last six games. What's interesting about LeMahieu's start to his 2025 season is he entered Sunday's game with the highest average exit velocity, barrel percentage and average launch angle of his career. Those are three major positives and would be interesting developments if they can stick over a larger sample. It's too early to make any sweeping conclusions on LeMahieu as a player, but it's worth keeping an eye on because if they can get simply league-average production out of him, it would be an unexpected contribution and could impact their trade deadline decisions. (Photo of Jazz Chisholm Jr. reacting after striking out in the eighth inning on Sunday: John Jones / Imagn Images)
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Jets Duo Tipped To 'Flourish' In High-Profile Reunion
Jets Duo Tipped To 'Flourish' In High-Profile Reunion originally appeared on Athlon Sports. At this time of the offseason, we're all about projections and sharing ideas on what we think might happen. Looking at the New York Jets' tandem of Justin Fields and Garrett Wilson, what can we expect? Advertisement A reunion has occurred between Fields and Wilson, who played college ball at Ohio State, but since entering the NFL, their careers have taken vastly different paths. Wilson is regarded as one of the better receivers in football, while Fields has yet to consistently demonstrate his abilities, and for some, he is on his last chance as an NFL starter. But maybe having Wilson as his go-to guy can bring the best out of Fields, as it did at Ohio State, and the pair might have gotten some bulletin board material right off the bat. Pro Football Focus' Trevor Sikkema, when ranking the top quarterback/receiver duos, has Fields and Wilson come in at No. 24. Advertisement 'Wilson slightly bounced back from a 73.5 PFF receiving grade in 2023 to a 79.3 mark in 2024, but it wasn't quite like the 85.9 PFF receiving grade he earned in his rookie season,' Sikkema wrote. 'Fields is coming off a decent year in Pittsburgh before getting usurped by Russell Wilson. The Jets will likely field a run-heavy offense in 2025, but this connection should still flourish. Fields also earned a 92.7 PFF passing grade when targeting Wilson when the two were at Ohio State in 2020.' New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson (5) runs with the ball past Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey (5), Sunday January 5, 2025, in East Rutherford. © Kevin R. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images There is a lot of unknown about the Jets offense under Tanner Engstrand, and with Fields learning a new system, coupled with only having one genuine weapon in Garrett, how things play out will be an interesting watch. Many predict tough sledding for Aaron Glenn's team, but with Fields and Wilson hopefully leading the offense in a better way than Aaron Rodgers, who knows what might come of the 2025 season. Advertisement Wilson and Fields as a bottom-tier duo right now is justified, but if things click in the way Gang Green hopes, they might quickly shoot up this rankings list next season. Related: Jets' Josh Reynolds Offers Positive Justin Fields Scouting Report Related: Rodgers' Respect Key to Steelers Signing This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
