Left-hander Jefry Yan has caught the attention of the New York Mets for making a positive first impression. Through his first two outings, the longtime minor leaguer refused to crack under pressure and adversity. He proceeded to turn heads when he made a flashy defensive play to prevent a run from scoring.
Jefry Yan Catches Attention
Yan spent the first 12 seasons of his career playing in a semi-pro league and in the minors. The future of his career was in jeopardy when he took a five-year hiatus due to an elbow injury. Still, the Mets gave him an opportunity to join the major league roster after dismantling much of their pitching staff before the 2026 trade deadline.
Upon joining the club, it didn’t take long for Jefry Yan to make a first impression. In his debut outing against the Cleveland Guardians, he struck out the first batter he faced. He was challenged when two players singled him off. He then walked the next batter, which loaded the bases for the Guardians.
However, Yan didn’t back down in the face of adversity. Instead, he struck out the next batter and ended the inning without allowing a run to score. After recording both strikeouts, Yan celebrated by jumping into the air and firmly landing on the rubber. His celebration caught the attention of fans at Progressive Field, who booed him. Yet, the outside chatter did little to quell his excitement.
“Once I had him at two strikes, I said, ‘You know what? I’m going to throw that slider,” Yan said. “And if I freeze him, which is excellent what I did, I’m going to celebrate accordingly.”
“Honestly, I don’t think about that. They can do whatever they want there. They’re paying for their tickets, so if they want to yell at me, they want to boo me, they can do whatever they want,” Yan added on the crowd’s reaction. “I’m in my zone, and I’m going to enjoy my game any way that I want to.”
Acting Fast
In his second outing, Jefry Yan didn’t shy away from making one of the more impressive plays of the evening. Against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Yan began to crack during the seventh. The lefty gave up two hits, before allowing an RBI single. That went down as the Pirates first run of the game. Yan walked the next batter he faced and watched the Pirates score another run score of a sacrifice fly.
With his back against the wall, Jefry Yan threw a wild pitch, but covered home plate to prevent the Pirates from scoring another run. His quick recovery ended the inning and provided the Mets with some breathing room. The Mets went on to seal the 6–4 victory and their four straight wins of this road trip thanks to Yan, who celebrated after making the play.
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