Luke Weaver reinvented himself as a high-leverage reliever during his years with the Yankees, and his unlikely magic reached its peak when he starred as their closer during their 2024 World Series run.
But on Saturday night at Citi Field, the Yankees found themselves on the wrong end of Weaver’s Houdini act.
Facing his former team for the first time since leaving last offseason, Weaver escaped a bases-loaded, nobody-out jam in the top of the seventh, preserving a two-run lead in the Mets’ eventual 6-3 win.
Weaver and Devin Williams — the other former Yankees closer in the Mets’ bullpen — recorded the final nine outs in Saturday’s victory, which evened the Subway Series at one win apiece.
The Mets led, 5-2, going into the seventh, but Aaron Judge led off with a double against left-handed reliever Brooks Raley, then came around to score when rookie right fielder Carson Benge dropped a routine fly ball off the bat of Cody Bellinger.
The error was eerily reminiscent of when then-Mets second baseman Luis Castillo dropped a pop-up against the Yankees in 2009, which allowed the tying and winning runs to score in the bottom of the ninth in the Bronx.
Raley followed by hitting Paul Goldschmidt with a pitch, and a bunt single by Jazz Chisholm Jr. loaded the bases.
The Mets then turned to Weaver with practically no room for error.
Weaver rose to the occasion, striking out Amed Rosario for the first out and Trent Grisham for the second.
He then got Anthony Volpe to ground into an inning-ending force out, escaping the jam in the most dramatic of fashions.
Weaver pitched a scoreless eighth, too, marking his first two-inning outing of the season. He struck out two and worked around one hit over 19 pitches.
Williams then hurled a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out one, to pick up the save.
The Mets signed Weaver to a two-year, $22 million contract and Williams to a three-year, $51 million deal over the winter, overhauling a bullpen that watched longtime closer Edwin Diaz leave in free agency for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
When Weaver initially joined the Yankees in September of 2023, he had already bounced between five teams over eight MLB seasons. He had a 5.18 ERA for his career at that point, mostly as a starter.
But Weaver impressed in that late-season trial run, then emerged as a multi-inning weapon out of the bullpen in 2024.
Weaver went 7-3 with a 2.89 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 84 innings over 62 relief appearances that season, holding opposing batters to a .136 average with runners in scoring position. By the end of that year, Weaver emerged as the Yankees’ closer — a role he maintained through the playoffs.
Ahead of Friday night’s series opener, Weaver described his time with the Yankees as “huge” for his career.
“A revitalization of my career, in a way,” Weaver said. “Obviously, some really core memories, getting to the World Series, playoffs, [for] someone who had never gotten to go play in the playoffs. And just really finding passion for the game again.”
Meanwhile, the Yankees acquired Williams before the 2025 season and enlisted the two-time All-Star as their closer, with Weaver reverting to a set-up role.
But Williams endured an up-and-down 2025, pitching to a career-high 4.79 ERA. He was twice removed from the closer role, but he found some redemption at the end of the year, thriving as a set-up man to David Bednar down the stretch and into the postseason.
Williams entered Saturday with a 5.27 ERA, but Saturday’s save was his sixth in seven opportunities.
Ahead of the Yankees’ 5-2 win on Friday night, Weaver said he expected his emotions to be “hyped up” whenever he got to face his former team.
“I’ll have some adrenaline, just like any other outing, and I’ll acknowledge them, give them the respect of the relationships that we have,” Weaver said.
“But I want to beat them. I want to be able to have the bragging rights.”
