Mickey Togs

The resolve and resiliency the Rangers have shown in the previous few weeks came out too little, too late in a 5-2 loss to the Penguins at Madison Square Garden, bringing the Blueshirts’ impressive five-game win streak to a halt.

It was the Rangers’ fifth loss since the start of March, when the club went 10-3-1 while facing some of the top teams in the NHL.

The Penguins, who were ranked 22nd in the league and second-to-last in the Metropolitan Division at the start of the game, are not the team they were just two seasons ago — when they lost a 3-1 series lead on the Rangers in the first round of the 2022 playoffs.

But Pittsburgh looked like a team fighting for its pride, while the Rangers didn’t look like they were fighting for anything at all.

“It seemed like it wasn’t our night overall,” Jimmy Vesey said. “Can’t spot a team two goals and expect to win in this league. I think going down two that early kind of changes the whole dynamic of the game. Just a few too many mistakes tonight.”

The Mets are adding two very notable names to their list of retired numbers.

The team will retire both Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden’s numbers during separate pregame ceremonies during the 2024 season.

There are five other players whose numbers the Mets have retired: Tom Seaver, Mike Piazza, Jerry Koosman, Keith Hernandez and Willie Mays.

“I’m thrilled that two iconic members of the 1986 championship club will have their numbers retired in 2024,” Mets owner Steve Cohen said in a statement. 

“Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden each had an enormous impact on our franchise and it’s my honor to continue our commitment to celebrating our wonderful history.”

Strawberry debuted in 1983 and took home NL Rookie of the Year honors. 

He spent eight seasons with the team, earning seven All-Star selections and breaking the team record for all-time home runs with 252.

Gooden debuted in 1984 and dazzled over 11 years in Queens, with the highlight coming in 1985 when he won the NL Cy Young Award after winning the pitching triple crown, leading the league in wins (24), ERA (1.53) and strikeouts (268).

Gooden won 157 games in a Mets uniform and posted a 3.10 ERA.

The New York Yankees defeated the Houston Astros, 7-1 at Minute Maid Park, relying on some stingy pitching while taking advantage of some costly mistakes from their opponents.

Though the Astros led 1-0 for the first six innings of the game, this Yankees squad once again showed they have the ability to rally late in games, getting some major production from the bottom of the lineup.

Oswaldo Cabrera and Juan Soto led the way in the late-game heroics, getting the Yankees off to a 2-0 start to the season and guaranteeing at least a split of the four-game series.

Manager Aaron Boone is thrilled to see Cabrera’s strong start after he struggled early this spring.

“He’s delivered,” Boone said. “In these first two games he’s been right in the middle of everything. And it’s so good to see him swinging the bat like this and contributing offensively like this because then he becomes so valuable.”

New York starter Carlos Rodón allowed five hits and a run with three walks in 4 innings, and Clayton Beeter, a 25-year-old right-hander, made his major league debut for the Yankees with a one-hit ninth.