Rookie Brett Baty Makes Immediate Impact for New York Mets

The first time Brett Baty stepped on the field in the big leagues, he simply took a look around. Then came a moment he’ll remember for a lifetime.

Baty homered in his first major league at-bat, and the New York Mets held off the Atlanta Braves 9-7 to snap Atlanta’s eight-game winning streak.

After being outscored 18-1 in the first two games of the series, the NL East-leading Mets jumped to a 6-1 lead and barely made it stand up to push their advantage over the Braves back to 4 games. And Baty was partially to thank.

The 12th overall pick in the 2019 draft, he came up for the first time in the second inning with a runner aboard and the Mets already ahead 2-0 on back-to-back homers in the first off Jake Odorizzi. After taking a ball, Baty connected with a hanging curve on his very first swing in a New York uniform.

New York Yankees Over Tampa Bay Rays 2-1

It seems clear now, the Yankees will go only as far as Aaron Judge will take them. 

The Yankees avoided a three-game sweep to the Rays, with a 2-1 win to snap a three-game losing streak, as Judge provided most of the offense with a homer and a double in front of a sell-out crowd of 25,025 at Tropicana Field. 

And the Yankees got a break to finish the game. With the Rays having scored a run and the potential winning run on second, Clay Holmes struck out Yandy Diaz looking on a pitch that appeared to be low. 

The Yankees got their lead in the AL East back to five games — and four in the loss column — over Tampa Bay, thanks in part to five shutout innings from Frankie Montas. 

“It does feel bigger,” Aaron Boone said after the Yankees avoided having their lead in the East cut to three games, which it hasn’t been since May 9. 

“With what we’re going through, to get a big, tough win on the road against a team we’re fighting with for the division is huge at this time of year,’’ Boone said.

Chris Bassitt, Mets Beat Dodgers 5-3

Edwin Díaz struck out Gavin Lux on a 102 mph fastball to escape a jam in the eighth inning, and the New York Mets beat the major league-best Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3.

Francisco Lindor hit a tying double in the sixth against Chris Martin (4-1) and scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by Darin Ruf after the Mets were held to one hit in five innings by Clayton Kershaw, who made his first start since Aug. 4.

NL East-leading New York took two of three from Los Angeles, its first series win against the Dodgers since Sept. 3-5, 2011. LA lost consecutive games for the first time since July 25-26.

Chris Bassitt (12-7) allowed two runs and six hits in six innings for his fifth straight victory, matching his win total from last season with Oakland. He departed after the Mets took a 3-2 lead in the sixth.

New York led 5-2 when Díaz opened the eighth by walking Freddie Freeman and plunking Will Smith. Freeman scored on Justin Turner’s sacrifice fly. Díaz then escaped by whiffing Lux on the hardest pitch of his career.

Adam Ottavino followed with a perfect ninth for his third save.