This was Take Back New York Night.
Not the kind you were expecting.
Mark Teixeira and Michael Pineda showed just how valuable they are to the Yankees after some terrible lost seasons.
Teixeira jacked a pair of two-run home runs into the second deck in right field at Yankee Stadium, his sixth and seventh of the season, against Jacob deGrom, who came into the game with a 0.93 ERA.
Pineda was ace-like, shutting down the Mets’ offense as the Yankees cruised to a 6-1 victory Friday in the Subway Series opener before 45,310 fans. The Yankees, who own a four-game winning streak, snapped the Mets’ 11-game winning streak.
Teixeira has basically turned the season into a game of home run derby.
“Home runs are always good, they are not always easy to come by, especially against a good pitcher,’’ Teixeira said after piling up 17 RBIs already this season.
“I’m thankful for the health, it is what I envisioned, hitting more home runs and driving the ball, taking that ‘A’ swing,’’ Teixeira said. “Hitting home runs is the best way to beat the shift.’’
Both teams came into this chilly night in first place, and the Mets arrived in The Bronx with their chests puffed out.
The chants of “Let’s Go Mets” were silenced quickly in the bottom of the first, when Teixeira, the anti-inflammatory diet slugger, lifted a high fly into the right-field corner for a two-run home run.
After Jacoby Ellsbury led off the third with a line-drive home run into the right-field seats, Teixeira followed three batters later with a long, two-run home run into the second deck, officially making it a Yankees rout. Teixeira who rarely shows emotion, gleefully celebrated his big blast as he entered the Yankees dugout.
Teixeira is 35. Over the 2013-14 seasons, he hit only 25 home runs as he was hampered by a serious wrist injury. His power resurgence is the kind of lift these Yankees desperately need in a season in which everything must go right.
Eleven of his 12 hits have been for extra bases. Teixeira has focused solely on getting the Big Fly back in his game with an extreme upper cut.
So far, so good.
“After the surgery in ’13 and feeling like garbage last year, I knew I had to go all-in with my new program, and it’s paid off,’’ Teixeira said. “I went on an anti-inflammatory diet, I knew I had to address inflammation and it’s allowed my body to feel better. Hopefully it continues the next six months.’’
The Yankees came into the night third in the majors in home runs even though they had played only six home games at home-run haven Yankee Stadium, which has similar dimensions to the original Yankee Stadium, which opened 92 years ago Friday.
The Bronx Bombers have homered in 13-of-17 games this season with multiple home runs in seven of those games. They came into the night averaging 5.31 runs scored, the second-best mark in the majors.
It’s going to take more than hitting, which is why Pineda’s performance was so important. Pineda needs to be the power pitcher to lead this rotation. With Masahiro Tanaka pitching through a small ligament tear in his right elbow, Pineda can step into the power void.
“I try not to pay attention to the cold anymore,’’ Pineda said of his pine-tar past. “I throw strikes and work down in the zone. If I can make 30 starts, it will be a very good year.’’
It has been a terrific start for both teams, and if all this keeps up, New York is going to have a wonderful baseball summer.
This was only the first game of the Subway Series, the appetizer.
Saturday is the main course, with the Mets’ Matt Harvey (3-0, 3.50) pitching for the first time in Yankee Stadium. He grew up watching his beloved Yankees win four championships from 1996-2000 in the old Stadium. Harvey will be opposed by CC Sabathia (0-3, 4.35), who sat relaxed at his locker Friday, insisting this is just another start.
For Pineda, this was much more than a standard April start.
The Yankees need the big right-hander to reach his potential. He has made only 16 starts for the Yankees since being acquired from the Mariners before the 2013 season. He was spectacular Friday, allowing only one run over 7 ²/₃ innings, giving up five hits.
The Yankees have not allowed a home run over their past five games and have allowed only 12 home runs this season, the second fewest in the AL. This was Pineda’s first start against the Mets, and it was a memorable one.
The Yankees pitchers are keeping the baseball in the ballpark, helping the team win seven of their past eight games.
The Yankees quietly went about their business before the game as the team’s management staged a “retirement’’ ceremony for Bernie Williams in the press conference room. It was just another gentle reminder of the Yankees’ glorious past. General manager Brian Cashman pointed out Williams was part of “the Fab Five.’’ That’s the Core Four, plus one.
With the Terrific Two of Teixeira and Pineda showing the way Friday night, these Yankees managed to get the Subway Series rolling in their direction.