Clint Frazier Shines as Yankees Beat Mets 9-3 in Opening Exhibition Game

Adam Hunger/Associated Press

Clint Frazier launched an upper-deck home run and Mike Tauchman went 3-of-5 with two runs as the New York Yankees defeated the New York Mets 9-3 at Citi Field in the opening exhibition game for each team.

Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar each had two-hit games for the Yankees, while Michael King started and went four innings, allowing one earned run and three hits while striking out three.

Pete Alonso led the Mets with two hits and an RBI. Rick Porcello was the losing pitcher, allowing six hits and three earned runs over five frames.

The Yanks got on the board in the first after a Torres single knocked home Tauchman, who led the game off with a double.

In the fourth, Frazier took Porcello deep with an upper-deck shot to give the Yanks a 3-0 lead. He drove in Giancarlo Stanton, who got on base with a leadoff double.

The Mets got on the scoreboard when J.D. Davis drove in Robinson Cano with two out in the fourth. They had a chance for a prolonged rally with Davis on second and Michael Conforto on third, but King induced an Amed Rosario groundout.

An Alonso single off relief pitcher Zack Britton to drive home Brandon Nimmo in the fifth cut the Yanks’ lead in half, but a pair of Max Moroff throwing errors put two Yankees runners on in the sixth before an Andujar groundout plated Stanton, making the score 4-2.

That was the result going into the ninth, but the Yanks put up a five-spot in the last inning. RBI singles from Erik Kratz, Thairo Estrada and Tauchman helped the effort, as did a Mike Ford sacrifice fly.

An Eduardo Nunez single scored Rosario, who hit a triple down the line, to end the scoring in the bottom of the ninth.

The Yankees were missing a few key players, including outfielder Aaron Judge, infielder DJ LeMahieu, first baseman Luke Voit and catcher Gary Sanchez. Judge, Voit and Sanchez are good to go for the season, but LeMahieu, who tested positive for COVID-19, may not be ready to play in time for Opening Day on Thursday.

“I don’t want to commit one way or the other,” manager Aaron Boone said to reporters on Friday, per the Associated Press. “That would be a pretty quick turnaround, obviously.”

The Yanks and Mets will play another exhibition on Sunday at 7:05 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium. That matchup will be the final one for the Mets before the regular season.

The Bronx Bombers will then host the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday at 6:05 p.m. for their third and final scrimmage.

The Yankees will open their regular season on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET at the defending World Series champion Washington Nationals. Gerrit Cole will start for the Yanks, and Max Scherzer will get the ball for the Nats.

The Mets will welcome the Atlanta Braves into Flushing, Queens, for their Opening Day matchup on Friday at 4 p.m. ET. Defending back-to-back National League Cy Young award winner Jacob DeGrom will start for the Mets, and the Atlanta Braves will go with Mike Soroka.