The Mets desperately need oxygen, but calling the neighbors didn’t help Tuesday.
Max Scherzer got stomped, Drew Smith is facing a suspension and the Mets’ lineup came up minuscule with a chance to steal a game in the late innings against the Yankees.
On the final count, Clay Holmes emerged as the hero, striking out Francisco Lindor and Starling Marte in succession with the bases loaded in the eighth inning, helping the Yankees hold on for a 7-6 victory in the Subway Series in front of a Citi Field sellout of 43,707.
The absence of injured stars Aaron Judge and Pete Alonso had little bearing on the offensive fireworks on this night as the teams combined for 20 hits and three homers.
The loss was the Mets’ ninth in 10 games and pushed them a season’s worst five games below .500.
If the loss wasn’t bad enough for the Mets, Smith got ejected before even throwing a pitch upon entering the game to start the seventh.
Smith was checked by umpires and deemed in violation of MLB’s rules on foreign substances and will face a 10-game suspension, during which the Mets will have to play a man short.
Smith will become the second Mets pitcher, joining Max Scherzer, suspended this season for violating the rule.
Scherzer produced a second straight clunker, allowing six earned runs on seven hits over 3 ¹/₃ innings. It followed Scherzer’s start in Atlanta last Wednesday in which he allowed five earned runs over 5 ²/₃ innings.
The right-hander has allowed at least five earned runs in four of his 11 starts this season.
Mark Canha walked and Brandon Nimmo singled to begin the eighth inning for the Mets and with one out Jeff McNeil was plunked by a pitch.
Wandy Peralta exited and in entered Holmes, who struck out Lindor and Marte to protect the Yankees’ one-run lead.
Michael King protected the lead with a perfect ninth.
Giancarlo Stanton resumed his mastery of the Mets with a homer in the first inning for the game’s first run.
The blast was Stanton’s 38th against the Mets in his career, and 24 of those have come in 58 games at Citi Field.
Stanton starred in the NL East for the Marlins before he was traded to the Yankees after the 2017 season.
Nimmo got the run back by smashing Luis Severino’s second pitch of the game over the right-field fence. Nimmo’s homer was only the Mets’ second in the first inning this season — Lindor owns the other.
Brett Baty’s two-out RBI single, following walks to Francisco Alvarez and Lindor, gave the Mets a 2-1 lead.
Severino committed two balks in the second inning, the first of which helped the Mets score twice.
Canha doubled and Nimmo was hit by a pitch and with Alvarez batting, Severino balked, moving runners to second and third.
Alvarez’s ensuing grounder produced only one out instead of becoming an inning-ending double play and Jeff McNeil slapped a two-run single to put the Yankees in a 4-1 hole.
Marte singled leading off the third and stole second and Baty walked before Gleyber Torres’ error loaded the bases.
The Mets extended their lead to 5-1 on Canha’s RBI fielder’s choice before Severino escaped by striking out Nimmo.
Scherzer gave all of it back and more in the fourth. DJ LeMahieu blasted a two-run homer after Anthony Rizzo’s leadoff single, pulling the Yankees within 5-3.
The Yankees were just getting started. Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Kyle Higashioka each singled in the inning and Anthony Volpe delivered an RBI double.
The Yankees finished Scherzer on Jake Bauers’ RBI single — still with only one out in the inning — that placed the Mets in a 6-5 hole.
Dominic Leone avoided further damage by striking out Stanton before retiring Torres.
Severino, after a mound visit from manager Aaron Boone, was allowed to stay in the game with outs in the fifth to face Guillorme with Baty at second base.
Guillorme slashed an RBI single to tie it 6-6 and end Severino’s night.
Severino sputtered in a third straight start, allowing six runs, five earned, on seven hits over 4 ²/₃ innings.
The right-hander has pitched to a 10.54 ERA in his three June starts.
Nimmo misplayed Volpe’s fly ball in the sixth into a double, allowing the Yankees to take a 7-6 lead on pinch-hitter Josh Donaldson’s sacrifice fly.
Billy McKinney singled leading off the inning against Josh Walker and reached second on a wild pitch before scoring the go-ahead run.