Who needs Macy's? We got your fireworks right here as Squirrel's M-80 wins it for Mets

Mets 6 Yankees 5 (Citi Field, Flushing, NY)

Mets record: 51-38

Mets streak: Won 3

WP - Huascar Brazoban (4-2)

LP - Luke Weaver (1-3)

SV - Reed Garrett (3)

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.

When the game was over, our text chain blew up. "Who's getting the seat? McNeil or Garrett? Garrett or McNeil? To be honest, I had McNeil as a shoo-in for the seat after his go ahead homer in the 7th gave the Mets the lead for good.

But when Reed Garrett was on his way to a six out save with Edwin Diaz unavailable, my mind was convincing me that it should be Garrett, especially after he has struggled so mightily leading up to this game, but came up huge when the club really needed him. It wasn't just that he got a 6 out save, but he got a 6 out save and avoided 99 in the process.

But Jeff's great play for the 5th of those outs convinced me: "You know what, Ralph would make room for two seats." They both had a hand in winning the game and keeping 99 in the on deck circle. Hence, they both deserve it.

Need to Know

• The Mets win combined with the Phillies loss against the Reds puts the Mets a half game out of first place in the N.L. East.

• With the win, the Mets are 10-3 against the Yankees at Citi Field since 2019.

• Today's win is the Mets' 17th in one run games.

• Ten of the 11 total runs today came via the home run. The Yankees hit four, and the Mets hit three.

• Jasson Dominguez hit two for New York (AL), Aaron Judge hit one (he went back to back with Dominguez to start the game), and Cody Bellinger hit the other one. Juan Soto hit a game tying two run homer in the first, Brett Baty hit a big homer to make it 5-4, and McNeil's shot to give the Mets the lead was the capper.

• Soto went 3-for-4 with the two run homer off Marcus Stroman in the first inning and two runs scored.

• McNeil has a .339 career average against the Yankees in his career.

• McNeil's OPS in hte 7th inning or later this season is .896.

• Garrett's six out save is the second of his career.

Turning Point

You already know.

And McNeil knew ... before the swing was over ... that the ball was going into the Coca Cola Corner, and the Mets would have the lead for good in the first game of the Citi Field portion of the 2025 Subway Series.

Three Keys

Survival

First off, give some credit to Justin Hagenman. Look, he was sent in as roadkill and did about as well as could be expected after giving up homers to the first two batters of the game. He gave up three dingers overall (someday we as a society will stop throwing low and inside to Cody Bellinger), but they were all solo shots. The most important number for Hagenman : Zero walks in his 4 and 1/3 innings. His outing wasn't great, but all he needed to do was not have a disaster. It wasn't a disaster.

Austin Warren then gave up Jasson Dominguez's second homer, but that was it from a bullpen who was shorthanded, and the pitchers who were available had all struggled lately. But they got it done. Warren was clean other than the Dominguez homer, and Huascar Brazoban pitched a scoreless 7th.

But Garrett was the anchor today. He sure hasn't been an anchor lately. And perhaps going with Garrett for two innings was playing with fire. But when you realize who was available and who wasn't, the world was burning around them. Carlos Mendoza had no real choice (though I was getting my Richard Lovelady puns ready.) Garrett came through in an important spot for the team. And when you do it against the Yankees, it's the best way to get the fans back on your side.

This Ain't The Bronx

Juan Soto had a tough series in his return to Yankee Stadium back in May. But it took one swing to show the world that this would be different ... that home cookin' is always a touch more savory.

It started with that ovation from the home fans, drowning out the road fans. Did it help? You be the judge.

The best part of all of this is that the last remnants of "Juan Soto isn't having any fun" talk can stop, and has stopped once and for all.

Lost In The Shuffle

Lost in all of this is Brett Baty's home run to bring the Mets back to within a run in the 6th.

The only reason it wasn't the turning point is because later in the inning, Ronny Mauricio vapor locked on a baserunning play that took the Mets out of a potential big inning.

This would have been the turning point had it not been for Jeff McNeil. Francisco Lindor would have batted against Tim Hill with runners on first and second. Instead it was the end of the inning. The good news is that Mauricio hustled. The bad news is that he somehow hallucinated a baseball rolling through the outfield.

But all that is to say that Baty's homer got lost in all of this. Lost in Soto's big day, lost in McNeil's heroics, and lost in Garrett's efforts. But it was one of many twists that went the Mets way, and they needed every single one of those twists to get it done.