CLEVELAND — Jefry Yan announced his arrival to the major leagues Wednesday night with a dance party.
A leap. A split. A ground slap.
Three times in the sixth inning the rookie reliever celebrated — twice for strikeouts and once for recording the final out with the bases loaded. He departed to boos at Progressive Field.
“I was really excited, but I was also a little nervous,” Yan said through an interpreter after the Mets beat the Guardians 6-5 in 10 innings. “I wanted to get in and out of there right away, but got into a little trouble. I was able to dig deep and get out of that inning.”
The Mets received what they needed not only from Yan but also from others in their reconstructed bullpen following the trade deadline — closer Devin Williams was also unavailable due to what interim manager Andy Green termed arm fatigue.
Bo Bichette’s RBI single in the 10th brought in the go-ahead run before Daniel Duarte got the final three outs with the automatic runner left stranded.
The victory was the second straight for the Mets, who received three homers for a second straight night: Brett Baty, Jorge Polanco and Carson Benge all went deep.
Yan, who peaked at 101 mph, added the most sizzle. The 29-year-old lefty, who spent four years removed from affiliated baseball after his release from the Angels organization in 2016, was known in the minor leagues for his high strikeout rate, but also his demonstrative punctuation after getting Strike 3.
New York Mets relief pitcher Jefry Yan reacts at the end of the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio, on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. David Richard-Imagn Images
New York Mets relief pitcher Jefry Yan reacts after striking out Cleveland Guardians’ Angel Martinez. AP Photo/Phil Long
It took Yan only one batter — Angel Martínez took a called third strike leading off the sixth — to show it off. He leaped into the air with a split and pounded the ground with his palm. Yan celebrated again, after striking out Chase DeLauter. His final act was getting Jo Adell to ground into a force-out with the bases loaded, prompting another celebration. Boos followed.
“I don’t care about that, they can do what they want there,” Yan said. “They are paying for their tickets. If they want to yell at me, if they want to boo me, they can do what they want. I’m in my zone, and I am going to enjoy my game any way that I want to.”
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Thank you
Green appreciated all of it.
“It’s real stuff,” Green said. “You think about the road traveled to get to that mound today … it’s really impressive. To get out of a bases-loaded jam, to get your first punch-out, it’s excited for him. He deserves that.”
Christian Scott needed 96 pitches to get through five innings in which he allowed three earned runs on six hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. It followed Scott’s longest start of the season, six innings against the Braves in the nightcap of a doubleheader last week.
Back-to-back homers from Baty and Polanco in the third inning gave the Mets a 2-0 lead. Baty’s homer was his seventh of the season and fourth since July 10. The disappointing Polanco had not homered since April 11 — he returned to the lineup in early July after missing nearly three months with Achilles and wrist injuries.
Jared Young’s RBI double in the fourth gave the Mets a 3-0 lead. The run was unearned following Angel Genao’s double error on Benge’s grounder.
A.J. Ewing got fooled on a drive to center in the fourth that became a double for Nathaniel Lowe, putting runners on second and third after Adell’s leadoff walk. Travis Bazzana stroked an RBI single to slice the Mets lead to 3-1, but Scott escaped the inning by getting the next two outs.
New York Mets designated hitter Jorge Polanco (11) celebrates his solo home run in the third inning. David Richard-Imagn Images
Scott allowed two runs in the fifth after loading the bases on two singles and a walk with nobody out. Lowe’s two-run single tied it 3-3.
Benge homered in the sixth to give the Mets a 4-3 lead. It was the second straight game with a blast for the rookie Benge, whose 13 homers are the most among active Mets players. Juan Soto, who is on the injured list, leads the team with 21 homers this season.
Patrick Bailey and Genao each delivered an RBI single in the seventh to give the Guardians a 5-4 lead following Young’s fielding error.
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The Mets loaded the bases in the ninth with two outs before Ewing’s grounder was misplayed by Brayan Rocchio, allowing the tying run to score.
Other than the two unearned runs the Guardians scored in the seventh with Dedniel Núñez on the mound, the Mets bullpen was spotless.
“There’s a lot of guys trying to show they belong and pitching really well,” Green said.
