Yankees picked up huge momentum swing on Friday

The New York Yankees picked up a huge 5-2 win over the Mets on Friday night in the opening game of the 2026 Subway Series at Citi Field. Behind another dominant outing from rookie pitcher Cam Schlittler and timely hitting from Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Ben Rice, the Yankees improved to 28-17 on the season. 

Schlittler continued his incredible start to the season, allowing just one run on two hits over 6 2/3 innings while striking out nine batters. The 25-year-old lowered his ERA to 1.35 and once again looked like one of the top young pitchers in baseball. 

“I just wanted to attack the zone and trust my stuff,” Schlittler said after the win. “The atmosphere was unbelievable tonight, but I felt prepared.” 

The Yankees offense got rolling in the third inning with two outs. Cody Bellinger ripped an RBI double before Jazz Chisholm Jr. followed with a two-run double to give New York a 3-0 lead. Chisholm finished the night 3-for-4 with two RBIs, a walk, and a stolen base. Ben Rice also had three hits, including a solo homer in the ninth inning — his 14th home run of the season. Spencer Jones added two hits and an RBI. 

“Everybody contributed tonight,” Chisholm said. “That’s the type of baseball we know we can play.” 

The Mets finally got on the board in the seventh inning when Juan Soto launched a solo home run off Schlittler for the 250th homer of his career. Brett Baty later added an RBI single in the ninth, but Yankees closer David Bednar shut the door to secure the victory. 

One of the biggest moments of the game came in the fifth inning when Mets starter Clay Holmes was struck in the leg by a 111-mph line drive off the bat of Spencer Jones. Holmes exited the game and was later diagnosed with a fractured fibula, an injury expected to sideline him for an extended period.