NEW YORK -- In a game that just took a little over 4 hours to conclude, the New York Mets (19-19) homer twice and hold off the New York Yankees (19-19) 12-7 to improve themselves back to .500 on the year.
It started early for the Mets as they got to the Yankees starting pitcher, Vidal Nuno, in the 1st inning. Eric Young Jr. was hit on the foot by a pitch leading off and after a walk to Daniel Murphy, David Wright drove in Young on a RBI single to take a 1-0 lead. Two batters later, the former Yankee, Curtis Granderson, hit his second home run in two nights, a three-run shot, to give the Mets a 4-0 first inning cushion.
This margin was slimmed down to just one after the Mets starter, Zack Wheeler, struggled to find the strike zone. Wheeler served up a RBI single to Mark Teixeira and then a two-run home run to Brian McCann.
Nuno settled down in the 2nd inning and Wheeler managed to escape trouble and strand a runner at 3rd base in the bottom.
Juan Lagares gave the Mets a 5-3 lead in the top of the 3rd with a sacrifice fly to center field. Daniel Murphy and David Wright also drove in runs in the top of the 4th giving the Mets a comfortable 7-3 lead.
The Mets would add to that lead in the 5th inning on a Ruben Tejada RBI single and then Daniel Murphy's three-run homer that just stayed fair, hitting off the foul pole in right field.
Zack Wheeler was pulled after throwing 118 pitches in 4 1/3 innings pitched but left with a 11-5 lead. Wheeler walked six Yankee hitters and was unable to find the plate all night.
The Yankees would get back a run in the bottom of the 5th from a Alfonso Soriano broken-bat RBI single and then again in the 8th inning from a Yangervis Solarte home run.
The Mets got an insurance run in the top of the 9th from a Lucas Duda RBI double that scored Granderson and Daisuke Matsuzaka was replaced by Jeurys Familia after pitching 3 2/3 fantastic innings, only giving up one hit on the Solarte home run.
Familia made things interesting when he walked the first two batters he faced and gave up a RBI single to Brian McCann. In a ballpark where a lead is never safe, Familia calmed his nerves striking out Soriano and then getting Solarte to ground out to end the game.
Both the New York Mets and New York Yankees will travel across town to Flushing as they start a two-game set of a four-game series at Citi Field. The Mets will get their first look at Masahiro Tanaka as he takes the mound for the Yankees while 23 year-old Rafael Montero gets his first career MLB start tomorrow for the Mets.