Dave Mlicki. Steve Bieser. Matt Franco. Mr. Koo.
Well, you can add Jorbit Vivas to the pantheon of unheralded players to leave an unexpected but indelible mark on the Subway Series.
Vivas battled through an 11-pitch at-bat for the Yankees in the eighth inning, resulting in a tiebreaking throwing error by Pete Alonso a few batters before Cody Bellinger clubbed a grand slam to right field for an 8-2 Yankees win Sunday night over the Mets at the Stadium.
Vivas entered the game defensively at third base in the top of the frame after Ben Rice pinch hit for starter Oswald Peraza in the seventh.
With runners on second and third and one out in a 2-2 game in the eighth, Mets reliever Ryne Stanek got two quick strikes on Vivas, but he eventually worked the count foul and fouled off six pitches in the AB before hitting a grounder to Alonso, who airmailed the throw home to allow Jasson Domíinguez to slide headfirst with the go-ahead run.
Bellinger, whose slam capped a six-RBI night, said Vivas’ at-bat “100 percent won us that game.”
Ten of Stanek’s 11 pitches to Vivas registered at least 99.4 mph on the radar gun and five were over 100.
“Vivas, what an AB, man,” Aaron Boone said. “You could see his adjustment, like the third or fourth pitch in, you felt him settle in a little bit. You could tell he settled down. Some great takes, some great battles.
“We get a break with the throw, although I don’t know, Jasson was coming down that line so fast.”
The 24-year-old Vivas was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on May 2 — after Jazz Chisolm Jr. went on the injured list — and made his major league debut that night with two walks in three plate appearances against the Rays.
The infielder, who was acquired by the Yankees in a trade with the Dodgers in 2023, is batting just .167 (5-for-30) overall in 15 games since getting promoted.
But his name is now etched alongside the other unheralded contributors in Subway Series lore.
“To be honest, I’m really just trying to make contact there and put the ball in play,” Vivas said through a translator. “He’s throwing 100 miles (per hour). So I don’t want to do too much, just help the team and out the ball in play.
“Exciting series and like I said, just trying to do my job, that’s all I wanted to do.”
