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NEW YORK (AP) — On a night that felt more like October than late April, Michael Pineda gave the Yankees an impressive performance in a matchup all of New York could get behind in the World Series.
Pineda consistently threw deceptive strikes into the eighth inning, Mark Teixeira had a pair of two-run homers and the Yankees ended the crosstown rival Mets' 11-game winning streak with a 6-1 victory Friday night in the Subway Series opener.
"He's dominant," Yankees catcher Brian McCann said of the powerful right-hander.
Jacoby Ellsbury also connected off Jacob deGrom (2-2) for a third home run to the short right field in the Bronx as the Yankees ended a four-game home skid to the Mets.
Pineda (3-0) allowed five hits and a run in 7 2-3 innings in his longest outing with the Yankees, who won for the seventh time in eight games. The NL East-leading Mets lost in their first game this season against a team outside the division.
"He's matured, he took a tough situation last year and figured out how to pitch in the cold," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said, referring to when Pineda was caught using pine tar at Boston. "On a night like tonight it was extremely impressive."
For the first time since the start of interleague play in 1997, the teams entered a Subway Series game with each holding at least a share of first place in their divisions. Even with the Rangers playing an NHL playoff game at Madison Square Garden and the Islanders and Nets also in the postseason, baseball was abuzz in New York on a brisk 46-degree night.
The banged-up Mets were coming off a perfect 10-game homestand that gave them the best record in baseball at 13-3, matching the 1986 team for best start in franchise history.
"It's disappointing because we were on a nice roll," Mets manager Terry Collins said, "and I know the Yankees have been playing very well, but we're surprised when Jake doesn't have his good stuff and tonight he didn't have it."
While the Mets were playing in front of packed houses at Citi Field that started talk of a shift in the balance of New York baseball toward the club from Queens for the first time in more than 20 years, the Yankees were on a run of their own. They returned from a 7-3 road trip, including taking three of four in Detroit, tied with Boston atop the AL East after losing four of five to open the season.
And the Bronx Bombers quickly showed they're not ceding any bragging rights in the Big Apple.
Bernie Williams, who caught the final out of the 2000 Subway World Series, threw out the ceremonial first pitch and then Pineda shut down the Mets with pinpoint control of his nasty breaking pitch. He struck out seven and didn't walk a batter, throwing 78 of his 100 pitches for strikes.
"That's what I'm looking for, attack the hitter for a first-pitch strike," Pineda said.
Teixeira homered in the first, a soaring shot down the right field line that appeared to get some help from the gusting wind to keep it fair.
That drive ended an 18 1-3-inning scoreless stretch for deGrom that began after he gave up a first-inning homer in his first start of the season. Teixeira hit a similar drive in the third three batters after Ellsbury barely cleared the right-field wall, 314 feet from home plate. The three homers matched the most deGrom has yielded in his career.
"I was throwing the ball fine in the bullpen and when I went in the game I don't know if it was a little adrenaline or something but I was leaving the ball up," deGrom said.
DeGrom gave up eight hits and a career high-tying six runs that more than tripled his ERA to 2.96.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Mets: GM Sandy Alderson said closer Bobby Parnell (Tommy John surgery) is being shut down for a week because of forearm soreness. Alderson said team medical director Dr. David Altchek found nothing wrong with the right-hander's surgically repaired pitching elbow.
Yankees: Carlos Beltran turned 38 Friday. He went 0 for 3 to lower his average to .173 with no homers and seven RBIs after having elbow surgery in the offseason.
UP NEXT
Mets: Harvey Day hits the road. Ace Matt Harvey tries to improve to 4-0 in his return from Tommy John surgery. In nine career April starts, the Dark Knight is 7-0 with a 2.12 ERA.
Yankees: Coming off his best start of the year — eight innings in a 2-1 loss at Detroit — CC Sabathia is looking for his first win since April 24, 2014. The big left-hander had knee surgery that limited him to eight starts last year.
SEE YA
Jonathon Niese, the Mets' Sunday starter, was ejected in the sixth inning, shouting at plate umpire and crew chief Doug Eddings during Juan Lagares' at-bat. "I told him make an adjustment, and he said he didn't want to hear another word," Niese said, "and I said 'Well then, make an adjustment,' and then he tossed me."
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