Bellinger's 3-Run HR Lifts Yankees Past Mets

Cody Bellinger crushed a three-run homer in the second inning and the New York Yankees beat the New York Mets 6-4 on Friday night at Yankee Stadium. Ben Rice also went deep as the Yankees (85-62) won for the 17th time in 24 games and pushed a season-high 23 games over .500 on the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11.

Bellinger turned a full-count curveball from Mets rookie Nolan McLean into the right-field seats for a 4-1 lead. He had caught the ceremonial first pitch from Brielle Saracini earlier, then made the baseball night feel like a Yankees statement in the Bronx rivalry.

Bellinger blast, Rice insurance

Rice added his 37th homer on the first pitch of the fifth, sending a sinker the opposite way into the left-field seats. The Mets answered in pieces: Christopher Morel's tying RBI groundout in the second, A.J. Ewing's RBI single in the seventh, and Ewing's leadoff homer in the ninth. David Bednar still closed it, getting Juan Soto on a double play for his 33rd save in 36 chances.

McLean fell to 11-9. The Mets had scored 31 runs in a three-game sweep at Miami and carried a four-game winning streak into the Bronx. Friday snapped both. Fantasy outfield streams that started Bellinger got the loudest swing of the Subway series opener.

17 of 24 and a rivalry reset

New York has lived September like a club hunting October seeding, not a wild-card watcher. Going 17-7 over the last 24 and sitting 23 over .500 keeps pressure on every AL East night. The Mets leave with a reminder that Bronx baseball still flips streaks in one weekend series.

Yankees fans wanted a Friday that matched the anniversary weight and the standings climb. They got Bellinger's three-run stamp and Rice's follow-up. Mets fans got a ninth-inning spark that died on Soto's twin killing. The rivalry rolls on with New York looking like the hotter September club.

Bellinger's second-inning rocket is the clip that will travel. Rice's 37th is the depth note. Bednar's save is the closer box score. Together they are a 6-4 night that keeps the Yankees rolling while the Mets reset after Miami's binge.

Subway series games decide bragging rights before they decide seeding. Friday gave the Bronx both. Bellinger did the damage early. The bullpen finished it. Mets fans will want the next chapter. Yankees fans will take 17 of 24 and keep stacking.