Jeff McNeil, arms clasped behind his back, tossed his bat and shouted toward the New York Mets dugout, starting up the first base line as his go-ahead, two-run homer in the seventh inning off Luke Weaver sailed into the second deck at Citi Field.

The Mets had scratched, using a makeshift pitching alignment, to remain in this game on Friday and there was McNeil to detonate the last needed fireworks barrage.

The New York Mets had stormed back twice. They knew their 6–5 lead in the top of the ninth inning wasn’t safe. Not with Aaron Judge waiting in the wings. For a moment, it looked like the New York Yankees would add yet another plot twist to Friday’s back-and-forth Subway Series