Yankees roll after Mets yank Harvey

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[September 21, 2015]  NEW YORK -- Once the New York Mets held back right-hander Matt Harvey, the New York Yankees didn't let up.

The Mets pulled Harvey after five shutout innings of one-hit ball, and the Yankees scored five runs in the sixth inning on their way to an 11-2 win Sunday night in the Subway Series finale at Citi Field.

Second baseman Dustin Ackley's three-run homer capped the outburst by the Yankees (82-66), who won the final two games of the series to move within 2 1/2 games of the American League East-leading Blue Jays heading into a three-game series in Toronto beginning Monday.

The Yankees sent just 18 batters to the plate in the first five innings against Harvey, who was making his first start in 12 days. He entered the game on an innings limit following a public battle between the Mets and his agent, Scott Boras, over Harvey's workload in the pitcher's first season following Tommy John surgery.

"When a guy's on a pitch count and it's Matt Harvey, you're trying to get him out as soon as possible," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who was ejected in the second inning.

Following Harvey's exit, the Yankees sent nine batters to the plate in the sixth, seven in the seventh and nine more in the eighth against six beleaguered Mets relievers.

"He was rolling pretty good," Ackley said of Harvey, who allowed a third-inning infield single to left fielder Brett Gardner and walked one while striking out seven in a 77-pitch performance. "When he did come out, we got some guys on base, we knew that was a good chance to make something happen. And we just continued to roll pretty much the rest of the game and didn't hold back at all."

It didn't take long in the sixth inning for the Yankees fans in the sellout crowd of 43,571 to drown out their Mets counterparts. Center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury (3-for-5) welcomed right-hander Hansel Robes by beating out an infield single and going to second when second baseman Daniel Murphy's throw sailed beyond first baseman Lucas Duda.

Gardner followed with a bunt to Robles, whose throw to third beat Ellsbury, but third baseman David Wright dropped the ball.

Ellsbury and Gardner scored two pitchers later when right fielder Carlos Beltran doubled to the wall in center field. Robles (4-3) struck out catcher Brian McCann, walked first baseman Greg Bird and struck out third baseman Chase Headley before Ackley homered over the right field fence.

"You don't want to know what I was thinking," Mets manager Terry Collins said of the sixth inning. "You might want to know, but I can't tell you. We came into the game with the plan in place that (Harvey) was going to go five innings."

Headley drew a bases-loaded walk in the seventh. Ellsbury and McCann had RBI singles in the eighth before Bird launched a three-run homer.

"Our guys kept at it, and that's what they do," Girardi said.

While Harvey, a 26-year-old making his 63rd big league start, was pulled in the middle of a gem, 35-year-old Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia (5-9) survived a 32-pitch first inning to last six frames and earn his first win since July 8.

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Sabathia, who made his 450th start Sunday, allowed one run -- on a Wrigth double with no outs in the first -- on five hits and three walks while striking out seven. He has a 1.04 ERA in three starts since coming back from a disabled-list stint caused by a chronically sore right knee.

"He's a veteran guy, he's the leader in the rotation," Beltran said. "Today he was able to go out there and fight. And I think that's a great message for the younger guys, to look to a guy like that."

Sabathia had no interest in commenting on the fracas between the Mets and Boras, who said earlier this month the Mets would imperil Harvey if the pitcher threw more than 180 innings. Harvey, who underwent Tommy John surgery in October 2013, is at 176 2/3 innings.

"That's up to them," Sabathia said. "I don't get into any of that. That's their situation for them to deal with, so I keep worrying about myself and the Yankees."

If all goes according to plan for the Mets (84-65) -- whose lead in the National League East over the Washington Nationals fell to six games -- they will have two more short starts to worry about for Harvey before the playoffs.

"When we told him he was done, his head dropped, you could tell he was disappointed," Collins said. "But we all knew this going in."

NOTES: Yankees RHP Masahiro Tanaka was scratched from his scheduled Wednesday start against the Toronto Blue Jays due to a Grade 1 right hamstring strain he sustained trying to beat out a bunt Friday. RHP Ivan Nova will start instead. Manager Joe Girardi said he hopes Tanaka misses only the one start. ... RHP Adam Warren and RHP Luis Severino, the Yankees' scheduled starters Monday and Tuesday, flew to Toronto on Sunday afternoon. ... Mets 2B Juan Uribe left after four innings due to a chest contusion. ... The first pitch was thrown out by former Mets star C Mike Piazza. ... Next year's Subway Series will be a four-game affair, with the teams hosting two games apiece -- the first two at Citi Field and the last two at Yankee Stadium -- from Aug. 1-4. They will be the first Subway Series games ever played in August.

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