Frank Franklin Ii/Associated Press
When Mets leadoff hitter Jeff McNeil lined a fastball from Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka the opposite way in the first inning Tuesday afternoon, it appeared destined to land on a patch of grass in the Yankee Stadium outfield.
But Yankees left fielder Brett Gardner reacted quickly, sprinted to his left, laid out for the ball and made the backhanded catch to record the out.
It was the Yankees’ way of welcoming their crosstown rivals to the Bronx. Though McNeil rebounded to give the Mets a 4-1 lead when he hit a three-run homer on the first pitch of his second at-bat, the Yankees answered with a five-run inning in the bottom of the fourth.