Canning, Brazoban, and Diaz put the collar on Judge to even the Subway Series

Mets 3 Yankees 2 (Yankee Stadium, The Bronx, NY)

Mets record: 29-17

Mets streak: Won 1

WP - Reed Garrett (1-1)

LP - Fernando Cruz (1-2)

SV - Edwin Diaz (10)

Seat on the Korner:

We select the star of the game and virtually invite him to a Seat on the Korner, just as Ralph Kiner used to do for his studio postgame show on WOR-channel 9 broadcasts in the early decades of the Mets.

This may be a controversial pick, but I have to show Huascar Brazoban a little love here. Edwin Diaz striking out Aaron Judge at the end of the game will get all the headlines, deservedly so. But Brazoban got five outs in the middle of the game, starting his day by getting out of a 1st and 3rd jam with one out in the sixth ...

... and like Diaz, Brazoban also ended his day with a strikeout of Judge. Because that was in the 7th and not the 9th, Brazoban won't get the love he deserves for today. But he will in this space because his 5 outs were some of the most important outs of the game.

Need to Know

• Griffin Canning, who came in with a 1.33 ERA in his previous five starts, gave up two runs on 7 hits and one walk in 5 and 1/3. The two runs scored on a Yankee Stadium Special to D.J. LeMahieu in the 3rd, and a home run by Cody Bellinger in the 6th.

• Clarke Schmidt went six innings (and one pitch in the 7th), giving up 2 runs on 3 hits and 5 walks.

• Pete Alonso had two hits and an RBI which drove in the first run of the game.

• Juan Soto stole a base in his third straight game ... a career first.

• Aaron Judge went 0-for-5 with three K's. It was the first time Judge has gone 0-for-5 on the season.

• The Mets avoided their first three game losing streak of the season, and they remain the only team in the majors to not have a three game losing streak.

Turning Point

The turning point for me was in the 9th when Fernando Cruz hit the 9 hole hitter Tyrone Taylor to load the bases with one out, and set up Francisco Lindor to bring home the eventual winning run ...

Three Keys

Decisions, Decisions ...

The bottom of the 7th was a fascinating sequence, and proof that each little decision that's made can change a game greatly. If our "Turning Point" section took steroids, it would be the bottom of the 7th.

First, Aaron Boone left Clarke Schmidt in the game to pitch to Luis Torrens, who smacked a base hit on the first pitch he saw. Schmidt would then be pulled. Then, a ground ball to second which could have/should have been a double play was only a force out because DJ LeMahieu took his time going to second. So now you have Tyrone Taylor up with the faster Brett Baty on first base.

First, sending Baty with Lindor/Soto coming up was on the aggressive side. Second, is Baty safe if his foot doesn't pop up right before home plate?

The inning would end on a great play by LeMahieu to get Lindor at first, and it was an inning that could have been way different in both directions had it not been for the decisions made and the inches lost.

Reed Scarrett

How does one walk three in an inning and come out clean on the other side? Well, when those walks surround a double play, and when the hardest hit ball you give up goes right at someone and the inning ends with no runs but lots of agita.

Overruled

Aaron Judge going 0-for-5 with 3 K's doesn't happen very often (first time this season.) The entire pitching staff deserves credit for pitching him aggressively.

Canning had already got Judge twice before the 5th inning, when he induced a groundout from Judge with runners on first and second to end that inning.

Then, it was Huascar Brazoban in the 7th to strike out Judge end his day ...

Then it was Edwin Diaz vs Judge with two outs in the 9th with a one run lead. Diaz went slider heavy to Judge in the at-bat, only throwing the fastball once which was fouled off, before the count went to 3-2. Diaz picked the perfect time to go high and inside to Judge on 3-2, winning that chess match to end the game.

A great pitcher's duel deserved to end with Diaz vs Judge. Diaz, who has been hit or miss this season, was definitely a hit as he made the best hitter in baseball miss. When you put a collar on Aaron Judge, you deserve to win.