New York Mets Fans Celebrate Jefry Yan’s Unique Strikeout Celebration

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New York Mets fans have been captivated by Jefry Yan’s acrobatic celebration after striking out batters in relief. His lively moves have turned into a popular social media sensation. However, during Saturday’s thrilling walk-off win against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field, Yan got caught up in the moment.

Yan, making his Citi Field debut, faced an 0-2 count with two out in the top of the ninth inning. He believed his fastball had landed perfectly on the outside corner to strike out Nasim Nuñez. Yet, the home plate umpire disagreed. Yan had already launched into his midair celebration.

After noticing the strike wasn’t confirmed, Yan tapped his hat in challenge, triggering an Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) review. However, the review upheld the call of a ball. “Now, that was funny,” remarked Mets’ play-by-play announcer Gary Cohen on SNY.

Yan regained his composure, striking out Nuñez with a slider two pitches later. This time, his celebration was justified. The strikeout left the Mets trailing by one run in the ninth inning.

Brett Baty initiated the inning with a walk, followed by Jorge Polanco’s single, putting the winning run on base. Francisco Alvarez then doubled to left, tying the game as Baty scored, with the winning run advancing to third.

Francisco Lindor completed the comeback, singling home the decisive run for a walk-off victory in the ninth, sealing Yan’s first MLB win after pitching 1.2 scoreless innings.

Yan, a 29-year-old rookie, has drawn attention for his standout celebrations throughout the year, starting in the minor leagues. Now in his first five big league appearances with New York, the fans have witnessed his signature moves.

Moving forward, Yan is likely to confirm the umpire’s call before celebrating, although he eagerly anticipated sharing his excitement with Mets fans at Citi Field.

Yan expressed his gratitude, saying through a translator, “I felt really welcome today” during his Citi Field appearance. With three strikeouts on Saturday, Yan currently holds a 1.80 ERA.