Mets left-hander Jefry Yan wouldn't have been the first pitcher to prematurely celebrate what looked, to him, like a called third strike. That, in and of itself, would not have drawn any particular attention.
What made the sequence in the top of the ninth inning in Saturday's contest against the Nationals noteworthy was Yan himself. More specifically, it was his distinctive leaping strikeout celebration, which he pulled the trigger on just a little early, thinking that he had retired Nasim Nuñez on a 99.5 mph fastball on the outer edge of the strike zone.
The call didn't come. Almost as soon as his feet hit the ground, Yan challenged the call and winced as it was upheld.
"Once I lost it there, I didn't want to look bad so I had to lock back in, focus and try to execute my pitch again," he said through an interpreter postgame.
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And he would; Nuñez struck out swinging on the fifth pitch of the at-bat instead. Never one to miss an opportunity to celebrate, Yan again went through his joyful ritual. (Nuñez, who overlapped with Yan in the Marlins' system for a time, appeared to see the humor in the situation.)
Awkward moment aside, in the end, it was a banner day for the rookie; he was credited with his first Major League win just a few minutes later, courtesy of Francisco Lindor's walk-off single.