The New York Mets entered the Subway Series with all the momentum in the world, fresh off a three-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers and with one of the National League's premier arms on the mound. But baseball has a way of humbling even the most confident teams, and Friday night at Citi Field was a painful reminder of that reality.
Clay Holmes, the Mets' ace who had been nearly untouchable this season, suffered a fractured fibula during a 5-2 loss to the Yankees. It's yet another crushing blow for a team that has been defined by adversity in 2026. The injury occurred as Holmes struggled through his worst outing of the year, allowing four runs over 4 1/3 innings—the first time any team had scored more than two runs against him all season.
The night started with promise. Juan Soto launched the 250th home run of his career, a solo shot that briefly gave Mets fans hope. But Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler was simply dominant. With an ERA second only to Shohei Ohtani's across all of baseball, Schlittler held the Mets to just two hits over 6 2/3 innings, striking out nine and walking only two.
The Mets' best chance came in the bottom of the seventh inning. After Schlittler exited, reliever Fernando Cruz entered with a runner on first and two outs. An infield single by Marcus Semien and a wild pitch moved the runners into scoring position, but rookie outfielder A.J. Ewing popped up a 2-1 fastball, and Aaron Judge made the catch look routine in right field.
There's no denying the Mets have played better since the calendar turned to May. Rookies like Ewing and the improving Carson Benge have injected energy into the lineup. But the old problems persist: scoring runs, especially with runners in scoring position, remains a challenge. Against a pitcher of Schlittler's caliber, the offense went silent when it mattered most.
Holmes' sinker—the pitch that had been his greatest weapon—betrayed him on Friday. Instead of generating the ground-ball outs that have defined his stellar season, it was hit for line drives in the third and fourth innings. The result was a loss that felt even heavier given the injury that followed.
The Mets (18-26) now face an uphill climb in a season that seems determined to test their resilience. The Subway Series continues, but the question on every fan's mind is whether this team can overcome yet another setback.