Subway Series ends with Mets, Yankees clearing benches, Francisco Lindor making Mets history

The finale of the 2021 Subway Series between the Yankees and Mets delivered on the excitement that earned it a booking on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball.”

Francisco Lindor homered from the left side. Then he homered from the right side. Giancarlo Stanton cleared the benches with a homer and a staredown of the Mets’ shortstop. Brett Gardner made the ultimate troll move on the Mets. And then Lindor wrapped it all up with another homer for a piece of Mets history.

Behind Lindor’s night, the Mets claimed this year’s Subway Series, winning four of the six games after taking Sunday’s contest 7-6.

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The game’s drama actually started Saturday. According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Mets believed the Yankees discovered that Mets starter Taijuan Walker was tipping his pitches and were whistling signs to hitters.

According to ESPN’s Marly Rivera, Mets third baseman Jonathan Villar said he called a mound meeting Saturday night because he believed the Yankees were using different whistles for different pitches while outfielder Aaron Judge was batting.

After Lindor homered in the sixth inning Sunday, his second long ball of the night, to extend the Mets’ lead to 6-4, he gestured toward the Yankees’ dugout, mimicking a whistle as he was rounding the bases.

Lindor said after the game that he wasn’t 100 percent certain the Yankees were stealing signs but he felt something was off, all while mixing in a reference to “The Last Dance.”

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The next inning, Stanton crushed a two-run homer to tie the game 6-6, He slowed along his trot to jaw with Lindor, prompting the dugouts to clear.

After the game, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Stanton’s exchange with Lindor was his team’s way of responding, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.

“You guys saw Lindor when he went around the bases,” Boone said. “We gave a little bit back. Boys will be boys.”

With the benches cleared, Gardner delivered an incredible troll of the Mets by giving them the thumbs down. The gesture was a clear reference to the drama the team faced when Javier Baez, Lindor and outfielder Kevin Pillar celebrated with thumbs-down gestures earlier in the year in response to boos from home fans.

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But Lindor would have the last laugh. He launched a solo shot to right field for his third home run of the night, becoming just the fourth Mets player to hit three home runs in a game at home — joining Robinson Cano, Lucas Duda and Kirk Nieuwenhuis. Homer No. 3 put the Mets on top 7-6.

The Yankees got two runners into scoring position in the ninth against Mets closer Edwin Diaz, but Diaz got out of the jam to secure a Mets win.

And of course, the final out was Stanton popping out to Lindor.