Jeff McNeil Finding Power In Second Half
Tuesday night’s Subway Series matchup between the New York Mets and the New York Yankees saw plenty of opportunities for both teams to have big innings offensively. However, both teams combined to go 3-for-19 with runners in scoring position in the Mets’ 3-2 win. The big hit did come in a RISP situation, and the Mets were able to have one more clutch hit than the Yankees, thanks to the red-hot bat of Jeff McNeil.
With the game tied at one in the top of the sixth, McNeil went up against former Met Michael Tonkin. Despite falling behind 1-2 in the count, the second baseman worked an eight-pitch at-bat and ultimately hit a two-run home run to left center for his fourth home run in the last five games.
Two-run homer from Happy Jeff to give the Mets a 3-1 lead! ????pic.twitter.com/CdviREvrQb
— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) July 24, 2024
After having five home runs in the first half of the season, McNeil has hit four home runs to begin the second half. His six home runs in the last 24 games are tied with Francisco Lindor for the most home runs on the team in that span. In addition, his .604 slugging percentage in July is the sixth-best in the National League and right behind Shohei Ohtani (.621).
It’s evident that McNeil looks much more comfortable at the plate. He mentioned after the game that he is very comfortable with where his swing is at currently, which could only mean good things in the second half for the 32-year-old.
“[I feel] more confident. Feel like my swing is right where it needs to be…I was searching early in the year, and didn’t really have the spring training to find it. Feel a lot better, feel like myself and nice to have the results,” McNeil said.
McNeil’s success can help lengthen the lineup even more during a stretch where the players are trying to show the front office that they are worth making more additions by Tuesday’s trade deadline.
It is only the Yankees, but McNeil has historically had some success in the Subway Series. In 27 career games, he has a slash line of .340/.396/.480 with three home runs and 16 RBIs. Tuesday night was his first home run in a Subway Series game since 2019. With that being said, his 34 career hits against the Yankees are the third-most he has had against any non-NL East opponent.
This year, players like Mark Vientos have had their Subway Series moment. Tuesday night was McNeil’s chance to have a moment, and he made the most of it in the Bronx. Now the Mets hope his success to begin the second half can carry into good fortune for the rest of 2024.
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