Rookie reliever Jefry Yan made his presence felt in his Major League debut Wednesday night, announcing his arrival with a series of animated celebrations during the New York Mets' 6-5 extra-inning victory over the Cleveland Guardians.
Yan, a 29-year-old lefty, showcased his high strikeout rate and demonstrative style that had become his trademark in the minor leagues. His first act in the sixth inning was a leap, a split, and a ground slap after striking out Angel Martínez. He followed with another similar celebration after striking out Chase DeLauter and a final one for recording the inning's final out against Jo Adell. Yan departed Progressive Field to boos from the home crowd.
The Mets' bullpen, bolstered by recent additions following the trade deadline, delivered a crucial performance. In addition to Yan's impactful outing, Daniel Duarte secured the final three outs in the 10th inning, stranding the automatic runner and preserving the win.
The Mets offense was powered by three home runs for the second consecutive night. Brett Baty and Jorge Polanco hit back-to-back homers in the third inning, giving the Mets an early 2-0 lead. Baty's home run was his seventh of the season, while Polanco's blast was his first since April 11, returning to the lineup in early July after nearly three months sidelined by Achilles and wrist injuries.
Young's RBI double in the fourth extended the Mets' lead to 3-0, though the run was unearned due to a Guardians error. Cleveland responded in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single from Travis Bazzana, cutting the deficit to 3-1. The Guardians tied the game 3-3 in the fifth inning after loading the bases and driving in two runs with a single.
Carson Benge put the Mets back on top with a home run in the sixth, his second consecutive game with a blast. Benge now leads active Mets players with 13 home runs this season.
The Guardians took a 5-4 lead in the seventh inning with back-to-back RBI singles. However, the Mets managed to tie the game in the ninth when Brayan Rocchio misplayed a grounder with the bases loaded and two outs, allowing the tying run to score.
In the 10th inning, Bo Bichette's RBI single brought in the go-ahead run for the Mets before Duarte closed out the game. The victory marked the second straight for the Mets.