Jefry Yan‘s night at Citi Field on August 15 went sideways in every direction — and still ended perfectly. The Mets‘ Dominican reliever threw 1.2 scoreless, hitless innings against the Nationals, racked up 3 strikeouts, picked up his first MLB win, and somehow squeezed in one of the funniest moments of the season along the way.
The strikeout that wasn’t — and the one that was
It started cleanly enough. Yan entered in the eighth inning with the Mets trailing 4-3 and a runner on second. He got the inning-ending strikeout to strand the runner and keep New York in the game — exactly what was asked of him.
The moment everyone’s talking about came in the ninth. Yan threw what he was sure was strike three against Washington’s Nasim Nuñez and launched into his signature celebration — the explosive jump followed by the ground touch that’s already made him a viral figure since his debut. One problem: the home plate umpire called it a ball. Yan, still mid-air, challenged the pitch to the automated ABS system.
The challenge was denied. Ball was a ball.
It could have been the most awkward moment of his young big-league career. Instead, Yan laughed it off — and two pitches later, he punched out Nuñez on a slider to end the inning. The Mets won 5-4 on a Francisco Lindor RBI single in that same ninth.
Numbers that made New York call him up
Before August 15, Yan had posted a 2.70 ERA across 4 appearances with the Mets. What convinced New York to bring him up in the first place: a combined 77 strikeouts in 41.2 innings between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse this season, with a 3.24 ERA across both levels.
The left-hander made his MLB debut on August 5, 2026 — at age 29. Ten days later he had his first win, 34,737 fans at Citi Field cheering him on, and a failed robot-umpire challenge on his résumé.
For the Mets — who moved most of their bullpen pieces at the trade deadline and are grinding through a 55-69 record at the bottom of the NL East — Yan has been exactly what they needed: strikeout stuff, real energy, and something to actually get excited about.
From a construction site to the big leagues at 29
Yan’s road here is unlike almost anyone else’s. Originally signed by the Angels in 2013, he had Tommy John surgery in 2016 and was released in 2017. He walked away from professional baseball entirely and spent three years working construction.
The Marlins found him in 2021 at an amateur league game in Arizona — literally pitching in a weekend recreational league. He worked his way through the Miami, Colorado, and New York minor-league systems, then spent time in Japan with the Saitama Seibu Lions of the NPB in 2024.
On August 5, 2026, he debuted in MLB. On August 15, he struck out three hitters in 1.2 innings with the score against him, celebrated a little too early, and won anyway.
His celebration has drawn mixed reactions — he was booed in Cleveland during his debut — but Citi Field gave him a standing ovation. San Rafael del Yuma, Dominican Republic, has a reliever in the big leagues. It took a while. He arrived with style.
