Conforto, Mets strike late to knock off Yankees

Michael Conforto snapped out of a slump at an opportune moment Tuesday night when he laced a tiebreaking two-run double in the eighth inning of the New York Mets' 4-2 win over the visiting New York Yankees. The Mets won their second straight following a seven-game losing streak and can win the season series from the Yankees with a win Wednesday night. The Mets have won the season series just three times in the 23-year history of the Subway Series.

The Yankees had a five-game winning streak snapped and lost for just the second time in 15 games. Two other big streaks were snapped for the American League East leaders. The Yankees' major league-record 31-game home run streak ended and All-Star DJ LeMahieu's hitting streak was snapped at 14 games as he went 0-for-4. The Yankees took a 2-0 lead in the second when they opened the inning with three straight singles, the last of which was by Gleyber Torres and drove home Didi Gregorius. One out later, starting pitcher James Paxton perfectly executed a safety squeeze that allowed Edwin Encarnacion to score from third. It was the first career RBI for Paxton as well as the first time a Yankees pitcher has executed an RBI safety squeeze against the Mets.

Paxton allowed one run -- on J.D. Davis' leadoff homer in the sixth -- on eight hits and two walks while striking out three over six innings. He stranded six runners and forced Conforto to hit into inning-ending double plays in the second and sixth. In the eighth, Pete Alonso led off by reaching on a throwing error by LeMahieu. Davis followed with a game-tying double off Adam Ottavino (3-3). With one out, Robinson Cano was intentionally walked and Wilson Ramos singled to load the bases. Conforto, mired in a 1-for-24 slump, then hit Zach Britton's first pitch to deep left to drive in the final two runs.

The rally made a winner out of Seth Lugo (4-2), who tossed a hitless eighth. Edwin Diaz earned his 18th save with a one-hit ninth. Mets starter Zack Wheeler allowed two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out eight over 6 1/3 innings.

 

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