Jacob deGrom, the Mets’ promising young starter, turned, looked, then craned his neck higher, as if he were trying to spot a bird. He had floated a belt-high fastball over the plate, and Mark Teixeira had crushed it into the early evening sky.
There may not be a more humbling experience in baseball than allowing a towering home run. Teixeira crossed home in the bottom of the first with his fists clenched, shouting encouragement at his Yankee teammates, while deGrom paced the mound, trying to forget the sight.
This Subway Series would actually mean something, judging by the players’ emotions.