Cody Bellinger Saves Day with Defensive GEM! Yankees 6 Mets 4

July 7, 2025 paperbacklou 2025 0

With the score 6-4 Yankees in the 7th, Cody Bellinger sprinted in from left field and made a spectacular shoestring catch of a Juan Soto flare, then fired a STRIKE to 1st base, doubling off Francisco Lindor to erase a Mets rally and help the Yanks onto victory.

Final score: Yankees 6 Mets 4, on a beautiful, summer Sunday afternoon at Citifield.

Many Yankee fans — from Jomboy to Nick Tutorro — were predicting it to be a turning point in the season, not only the game. Impending doom turned into jubilation and faith.

The Yankees had lost 6 in a row, when everything that can go wrong had gone wrong — and despite taking a 5-0 lead on the Mets by the 4th inning, the Mets had closed to 6-4 and were rallying again — when Bellinger cut the rally off and turned the game around.

Bellinger wasn’t the only reason for the win:

  • Max Fried started and had a shutout into the 5th, leaving after 5 with a 5-2 lead.
  • Austin Wells hit a HR to give the Yanks an early 1-0 lead.
  • Aaron Judge hit a 2-run HR to give the Yanks a 5-0 lead in the top of the 5th, made a tremendous sliding catch to end the bottom of the 5th and strand the tying run at 3rd, and hit a clutch Sac Fly for an important insurance run in the 7th.
  • The Yankee bullpen of Mark Leiter Jr. Tim Hill, and Devin Williams pitched a shutout 7th thru 9th — Leiter helped by Bellinger.
  • The Yankee offense banged out 12 hits, including 3 by Trent Grisham, and 2 each by Paul Goldschmidt, Austin Wells, and Cody Bellinger. Anthony Volpe drove in a run with a groundout.

Afterwards all the giddy Yankee talk was about Bellinger’s game-turning play.

“What a play,” said manager Aaron Boone afterwards. “Considering the context of this week and everything — that’s probably our play of the year so far. And to have the wherewithall — and the quality of the throw, to double him off. Just a great play by Belli.”

“He’s the one guy I don’t worry about telling him where he’s playing,” added Boone. “That’s the first conversation we had this winter. He said to me, ‘Don’t worry about where you play me everyday — if I haven’t played there in a while, I love it; I don’t care.’ And that’s what he portrays; that’s what he shows. Everywhere he goes he’s good. I mean I threw him at 1st base yesterday and he makes two really good plays over there; looks like he’s been there all year. It’s a special skill and trait that he brings to the table as a player.”

The Yankees improve to 49-41, and remain 3 games back of Toronto, and tied with Tampa for 2nd place in the AL East. The Mets fall to 52-39, 1.5 games behind Philly in the NL East.

1. Wells HR Puts Yanks Up 1-0

It was a bullpen day for the Mets — they started 6’3 righty Chris Devenski, and he pitched a shutout for the first 2 innings. But 6’4 righty Zach Pop came in for the top of the 3rd, and Austin Wells led off the inning by popping Pop’s 2nd pitch 396 feet to right for a 1-0 Yankee lead.

2. Volpe and Wells Do their Job for 3-0 Yankee Lead

The Yanks got more off Pop in the 3rd.

Giancarlo Stanton led off with a double to left, Cody Bellinger singled to right to move Stanton to 3rd, and Anthony Volpe did his job — hitting a grounder to 2nd to score the run. Yankees 2 Mets 0.

Volpe then stole 2nd. DJ LeMahieu reached on an infield single sending Volpe to 3rd.

The Mets brought 6’3 lefty Brandon Waddell in to face lefty Austin Wells, but like Volpe, Wells did his job — hitting a grounder to 2nd to score the run. Yankees 3 Mets 0.

3. Judge HR #33 Makes It 5-0 Yanks

Paul Goldschmidt led off the 5th against the lefty Waddell with a double, and after Grisham grounded out, Aaron Judge ripped a shot 388 feet to left center for a 5-0 Yankee lead. He is 2nd in the AL with 33 homeruns (behind Cal Raleigh who had 35).

4. Fried Fantastic; Hangs Tough in 5th

Meanwhile Max Fried was fantastic on the hot, sunny day — low humidity but 85 degrees and a blazing sun.

Grisham Loses Ball in Sun

Fried got the 1st out of the 5th, but then allowed a single to Jeff McNeil, a single ‘just’ up the middle by Hayden Senger, and then got Starling Marte to hit a fly ball to center that gold glove centerfielder Trent Grisham lost in the bright sun — the ball going over his head for a hit — but going for just a single as everyone thought he had a beat on it.

Instead of 2 outs and 2 on — it was bases loaded and 1 out.

Francisco Lindor then singled “just” up the middle over 2nd for 2 runs and a 5-2 game. Everything that can go wrong…

But Fried got tough in the hot heat — with his pitch count in the 90’s — he struck out Juan Soto and got Pete Alonso to fly out to Judge in right to end the inning.

5. Judge Catch Saves Loaisiga & Yanks in 5th

Fried started the 6th by hitting Brandon Nimmo with a pitch and was relieved by Jonathan Loaisiga.

Loaisiga allowed a single to right by Ronny Mauricio, a single to left by Brett Baty, and an infield single by Jeff McNeil scoring a run to make it 5-3 — still with bases loaded and nobody out.

But Loaisiga got Senger to hit into a double play to shortstop — scoring a run to make it 5-4.

And then Starling Marte hit a liner to right that looked like it might tie the game — but Aaron Judge made a terrific diving catch to save the Yanks, Loaisiga, and the lead. (And Max Fried’s win.)

6. Judge Insurance Sac Fly in 7th

And then top of the very next inning, Judge gave Yanks insurance.

With fireballing Huascar Brazoban in, Paul Goldschmidt led off with a single, and Trent Grisham reached on an infield single — with Paul Goldschmidt racing to 3rd.

Aaron Judge fell behind 0-2 but worked the count to 3-2, fouled off a pitch, then hit a 90-MPH cutter deep to left for an easy sac fly. Yankees 6 Mets 4.

7. Bellinger Amazing Defensive Play Saves Day

With the Yanks clutching to their 6-4 lead, and Yankee fans expecting doom — Mark Leiter Jr. came in for the 7th and hit leadoff batter Francisco Lindor with a pitch.

Next batter Juan Soto hit a flare to left for a single — NOT — as Cody Bellinger made the spectacular shoe-string catch and fired a STRIKE to 1st to nab Lindor!

8. Hill Cruises thru 8th

Leiter walked next batter Pete Alonso — but Tim Hill came in and got Brandon Nimmo to ground out to end the 7th.

Hill allowed a leadoff single in the 8th, but got Brett Baty to hit into a double play — unassisted by Paul Goldschmidt at 1st.

Hill then got Jeff McNeil to ground out — another splendid relief appearance by Tim Hill.

9. Devin the Non-Agita Save

To the 9th with the Yanks nursing a 6-4 lead. And Devin Williams pitched like an Ace Reliever — striking out Luis Torrens looking, getting Marte to ground out, and striking out Francisco Lindor on a 3-2 check swing for the old ballgame.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401696255

 

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