5 Yankees players who came up big in winning Subway Series over Mets

Yahoo

20-05-2025

NEW YORK – The revved-up Subway Series crowds at Yankee Stadium created an electric charge that still hung in the air after Sunday night's Bronx finale.
'Two really good teams having a little fun in May,'' was how manager Aaron Boone put it, following the Yankees' 8-2 win, giving them two of three games against the Mets this weekend.
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'It's fun playing at Yankee Stadium when it feels like it matters a lot,'' said Boone, with the Mets' Juan Soto the heavy target of Yankees Universe's scorn. 'The atmosphere makes it a little more exciting.''
Beyond the Soto spotlight, here's five pinstriped points from the initial Subway Series of 2025:
Cody Bellinger's season has begun
May 18, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger (35) celebrates after hitting a grand slam home run in the eighth inning against the New York Mets at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
It took a while to get going, but Bellinger is now riding a 13-game hitting streak following a breakout Subway Series.
'He's swinging at pitches he needs to be swinging at. His balance is where it needs to be,'' Boone said after Bellinger's 7-for-11 Subway Series with two homers, three walks and just one strikeout.
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Over his 13-game streak, Bellinger is batting .377 with a 1.129 OPS, as opposed to the .196/.614 he'd compiled during his first 29 games.
'Ultimately, it's the process, it's the plan – what's under my control,'' said Bellinger, who had 'a few conversations'' with teammates and hitting coaches about his approach.
Subway Series moment: Bellinger's grand slam capped a tie-breaking, six-run eighth inning to put Sunday's game well out of reach. All six RBI by the lefty-hitting Bellinger on Sunday were delivered versus lefty pitching.
Devin Williams is building momentum
May 18, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Devin Williams (38) reacts after retiring the side in the eighth inning against the New York Mets at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Still working his way back toward the ninth inning, Williams retired all six batters he faced, contributing to both Yankees wins in an eighth inning role.
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Williams arrived in a 2-2 game Sunday night and promptly retired the Mets' 2-3-4 hitters - starting with Soto and ending with a strikeout of Mark Vientos on his signature 'Airbender' changeup.
Over his last five appearances, all scoreless, Williams has yielded just one hit and one walk, with seven strikeouts.
Perhaps this weekend at Colorado, against the dreadful Rockies, is Williams' opportunity to ease back into the closer's spot, allowing Luke Weaver to move back into a multi-inning setup role.
Subway Series moment: Williams had a five-run cushion on Friday night, but he struck out the side - starting with Pete Alonso, who crushed a playoff-series changing home run in their previous meeting last October at Milwaukee.
Jorbit Vivas is moving into a regular role
New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (22) interacts with New York Yankees second baseman Jorbit Vivas (90) during the first inning at Yankee Stadium.
With Oswaldo Cabrera likely lost for the season due to a fractured ankle, Jorbit Vivas could receive a healthy share of starting time at third base.
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'I was a huge fan of him in spring training,'' said Bellinger. 'I loved his at-bats, he's a very exciting player. He's got a lot of confidence and he's fun to watch.''
Oswald Peraza started two of the three Subway Series games, going 0-for-5 with a walk and committing a fieldling error at third base.
Vivas might quickly gain traction as the lefty-hitting side of that platoon, as well as subbing occasionally as his natural second base spot for DJ LeMahieu.
Subway Series moment: A late defensive sub Sunday, Vivas' 11-pitch at-bat versus hard-throwing Ryne Stanek resulted in the grounder that Alonso threw away, plating the go-ahead run.
The spring in DJ LeMahieu's step
May 17, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu (26) follows through on a solo home run against the New York Mets during the third inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Starting just his second and third games of the year, the veteran infielder has made an impression since his latest injury-list stint - this time for a strained left calf.
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LeMahieu went 3-for-8 in the Subway Series, including an opposite field homer in Saturday's 3-2 Yanks loss. That game also featured some sharp defense by LeMahieu at second base.
Given Cabrera's injury and a so-far unappealing infield trade market, LeMahieu's resurgence carries that much more weight.
Subway Series moment: How about the sprawling play to his right in Sunday night's eighth inning, robbing Soto of a would-be leadoff single in a tie game, with Alonso and Vientos looming next?
Max Fried is built for big games
May 18, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Max Fried (54) pitches in the first inning against the New York Mets at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Excluding all the New York-New York emotion, this was still a regular-season game in May.
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But Sunday's Subway Series finale had a playoff atmosphere, which Fried acknowledged. No stranger to the spotlight, Fried kept his seasonal string of yielding two earned runs or fewer intact vs. the Mets.
If this were a playoff game, Fried would've obviously been pressed past six innings and 102 pitches. In this Gerrit Cole-less season, the Yanks are 9-1 in Fried's 10 starts.
Subway Series moment: Retiring Soto, a .333 hitter against him, all three times up - including two strikeouts, one looking at a 3-2 curveball, the other swinging over a 3-2 sinker.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: New York Yankees takeaways after winning Subway Series vs Mets