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Mets 9, Yankees 7

 
Published May 13, 2014

NEW YORK — Chris Young hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning, Jenrry Mejia provided a jolt after his reluctant move to the bullpen and the previously punchless Mets went deep four times to rally past the Yankees 9-7 Monday night in the series opener.

Curtis Granderson connected in his return to Yankee Stadium, and the Mets also got long balls from Eric Young and Travis d'Arnaud while overcoming two three-run deficits.

Lumbering first baseman Lucas Duda turned in two spectacular defensive plays, starting a game-ending double play with runners at the corners by making a diving stop of Brian McCann's sharp grounder.

Taking full advantage of the hitter-friendly confines across town, rather than the vast dimensions at Citi Field, the Mets hit four homers in a game for the first time since May 3, 2013, in Atlanta, according to STATS. They began the day 29th in the majors with 22 home runs.

The Mets also hit four doubles while beating the Yankees for the fifth straight time since the start of last season.

Brett Gardner hit a second-inning grand slam off ex-Yankee Bartolo Colon, and Derek Jeter had three hits for the first time since Sept. 30, 2012, in Toronto. Carlos Beltran left in the seventh with a hyperextended elbow.

Bumped to the bullpen before the game, Mejia entered in the seventh for his first big-league relief appearance since September 2012. He struck out Alfonso Soriano on three pitches and pitched a scoreless eighth.

Mejia seemed to relish the role, even though he made it clear he wanted to stay in the rotation because he was concerned about injuring his surgically repaired arm again. The right-hander excitedly pumped his fist after a double play then backed off the mound after a called third strike that ended the eighth.

Former Ray Kyle Farnsworth pitched a shaky ninth for his third save, aided by Mark Teixeira's sore legs.

Teixeira laced a pinch-hit single to right that went to the wall and sent Jeter to third. A gimpy Teixeira had to stop at first, though, and was pulled for a pinch-runner. That kept the double play in order and Duda turned a rare 3-5-3 gem with third baseman David Wright, who was shifted near shortstop against McCann.

The crowd of 46,517 included Hall of Famer Yogi Berra, who received a warm hand on his 89th birthday.