FLUSHING, NY — The New York Yankees opened the 2026 Subway Series with a victory Friday night at Citi Field, riding a dominant outing from right-hander Cam Schlittler and timely hitting to a 5-2 win over the New York Mets.
In front of a rowdy New York crowd of 40,004 and following a pregame moment of silence honoring the legendary Yankees broadcaster John Sterling, who passed away at the age of 87 earlier this month, the Yankees quickly seized momentum and never let go.
The breakthrough came in the third inning against former Yankee Clay Holmes, who was off to a stellar 2026 regular season campaign with a 1.86 ERA headed into Friday, as Cody Bellinger lined an RBI double to right field to score Ben Rice and give the Yankees a 1-0 lead before Jazz Chisholm Jr. followed with a two-run double, pushing the advantage to 3-0.
Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s third inning two-run double Friday night gave the Yankees all they needed with a 3-0 lead on the Mets at Citi Field – Image Credit: George Napolitano/Latino Sports
Holmes’ night took a devastating turn in the fourth inning when he was struck on the right foot by a 111.1-MPH comebacker off the bat of rookie Spencer Jones. Despite remaining in the game briefly, postgame imaging revealed Holmes suffered a fractured fibula.
“It’s a huge blow,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said afterward. “He’s been one of the most consistent guys we’ve had in that rotation.”
Mendoza added that Holmes insisted he felt well enough to continue pitching before eventually exiting.
“That’s the hard part to understand here,” he said. “He (Holmes) was fine, finished the inning, went back out because he felt good, and then obviously something didn’t feel right.”
The Mets were hit with tough news after Friday’s loss as Clay Holmes took a 111.1-MPH comebacker from rookie Spencer Jones in the fourth inning which resulted in a fractured fibula – Image Credit: George Napolitano/Latino Sports
While the Mets dealt with the emotional setback, Schlittler continued carving through the orange and blue lineup with poise beyond his years. The 25-year-old struck out nine batters while allowing just two hits and one run, lowering his season ERA to a remarkable 1.35 through his first 10 starts.
“A lot of fun,” Schlittler said of pitching in his first Subway Series. “The atmosphere was great and the boys played great behind me.”
Schlittler received a standing ovation from the Yankee-heavy crowd after exiting in the seventh inning. According to the Yankees, he became the first pitcher in franchise history to record a sub-1.50 ERA with 65 or more strikeouts through his first 10 starts of a season.
Cam Schlittler dominated the Mets Friday night in his Subway Series debut, striking out nine across 6.2 innings of one run ball with two hits and two walks – Image Credit: George Napolitano/Latino Sports
The lone mistake from Schlittler came in the seventh when three-time LatinoMVP Juan Soto launched a solo home run to right-center field.
The blast marked the 27-year-old’s sixth homer of the season and the 250th of his career, making him the 24th Dominican-born player in MLB history to reach the milestone.
Three-time LatinoMVP Juan Soto (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) recorded his 250th career home run in Friday night’s loss to become the 24th Dominican-born MLB player all-time with 250 career blasts – Image Credit: George Napolitano/Latino Sports
Prior to his seventh inning HR, Soto struck out against Schlittler in the fourth and slowly walked back to the dugout while feeling his back in what looked like slight discomfort.
“That was just a little discomfort, but no pain at all,” Soto said of the fourth inning strikeout. “I’ve been dealing with a couple things—the hand, the calf, elbow, everything—I’m just trying to get back on track.”
The Yankees added insurance in the ninth inning when Ben Rice connected on his 14th home run of the season, extending the lead to 5-1 before closing out the victory.
After the game, a 5-2 win, Yankees manager Aaron Boone summed up Schlittler’s performance simply: “Par for the course.”
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