Cam Schlittler is really good at pitching a baseball. The young Yankees standout yet again refused to blink as he continued his domination of the major leagues in his sophomore season. Facing former Yankees closer Clay Holmes to open the 2026 edition of the Subway Series, Schlittler again gave the Yankees a solid performance. That gem, along with a three-run third inning, helped set the tone in Queens for a 5-2 victory in favor of the Bronx visitors.
The Yankees hitters seemed unimpressed with Holmes’ streak of allowing two earned runs or fewer in every start this season as that streak came to an end with two outs in the third inning. That was when the Yankees suddenly began lacing the ball to right field.
Ben Rice started the rally with a single before Aaron Judge followed with one of his own. Cody Bellinger then ripped a double into right field to drive in the Yankees’ first run, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. followed with another double to make it 3-0 Yankees.
The Yankees threatened again in the fourth inning, but Holmes was able to escape without further damage. In the bottom half of the frame, Schlittler struck out Juan Soto before making an incredible play off the mound to end the inning. The web gem is one Yankees fans will likely be seeing on highlight reels for the rest of the season.
Soto also appeared to tweak his back during his second strikeout of the night, briefly causing concern for the Mets. He ultimately remained in the game, though carrying the weight of an entire organization on your shoulders can apparently be a painful experience.
Holmes failed to make it through five innings for the first time this season after issuing a walk to Chisholm in the fifth inning. That free pass ultimately ended Holmes’ night after 4.1 innings of work. It was a painful day for Holmes in multiple ways, as an earlier 111.1-mph smash by Spencer Jones fractured Holmes’ fibula, and while he had initially seemed OK to stay in the game, the postgame X-rays revealed bad news for the Mets.
Jones greeted Mets reliever Austin Warren, ripping a hard-hit line drive into right-center field to plate Chisholm and give the Yankees their fourth run charged to the former Yankees closer. Holmes’ final line included four earned runs, on seven hits, with two walks, and eight strikeouts. For a Yankees lineup searching for more consistent production, getting to the tough righty was a good way to start the series.
Soto finally got his team on the board in the seventh inning with a solo home run to right field. Shortly after the blast, Schlittler had another comebacker scorched directly toward his feet. It marked the second time during the game that Schlittler had been hit by a sharply struck ball after also taking one off his leg during his previous outing in Milwaukee.
Schlittler would not be able to close out the seventh inning after his pitch count eclipsed 100 and a walk to Brett Baty ended his night after 6.2 innings of one-run ball. The rookie right-hander finished his outing with 9 strikeouts and just 2 walks in another strong performance.
Aaron Boone then turned to Fernando Cruz. An infield single suddenly brought the tying run to the plate and a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position and quickly raised the tension level in Queens. Cruz ultimately settled down and got rookie A.J. Ewing to fly out, ending the threat and preserving the Yankees’ lead.
Rice helped the Yankees grab the run back in the top of the ninth inning. Rice launched his 14th home run of the season off Craig Kimbrel, extending the Yankees’ lead to 5-1 and giving the bullpen a little extra breathing room heading to the bottom of the frame.
The Yankees handed the four run lead over to closer David Bednar in a non-save situation. Bednar would walk Soto and then quickly erase him with a double play ball. Bednar didn’t exactly cruise from there though. After a single and a defensive interference call, Baty drove in MJ Melendez to make it 5-2. That, however, was the final score, as Bednar successfully slammed the door.
Schlittler was as good as advertised and the Mets continued to struggle. The Yankees will look to take game two tomorrow as Carlos Rodón makes his second start of the season against a Met yet to be named (likely an opener). First pitch is scheduled for 7:15pm ET in another national broadcast, this time on Fox.