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 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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