Light-out Mets pitching staff continues to back up front office’s faith

Talk about finishing with a flourish. Mets closer Edwin Díaz dialed it up to 99 mph to end Game 2 of the Subway/Soto Series on a whiff by the Yankees’ great No. 99 himself, who’s the best hitter in these parts or any other.

An unexpected perfect day, a needed recent breather and the adrenaline provided by a second straight sellout crowd at a typically raucous Yankee Stadium gave Díaz just enough fuel to beat all-time great Aaron Judge on a heater that rode high and out of the zone. That fateful fastball clinched a 3-2 Mets victory that evened one of the most anticipated Subway Series matchups in years thanks to the defection of the $765 million man, Juan Soto, from the Yankees to the Mets.

The 47,510 fans were only 80 percent as loud for this one as Game 1 the night before, and happily, they sidelined the profane chant ever-present in the opener. But while fans here still enthusiastically disapprove of Soto’s move from history’s traditional darling to its little brother 8.5 miles to the south and east, it may actually be for the best for both teams.

The Yankees pivot looks like a success, with Cody Bellinger now heating up, Paul Goldschmidt looking almost like MVP Goldschmidt and Max Fried joining Tarik Skubal at the top of the AL Cy Young race. Meantime, with Judge entrenched here and conjuring the ghosts of Ruth and Gehrig, the Mets needed star power much more.