The Mets promoted right-hander reliever Jefry Yan in time to face the Guardians on Wednesday night. The call-up completed what's been a meandering journey to the majors for the 29-year-old Yan.
Originally signed out of the Dominican Republic by the Angels in 2014, Yan is on his fourth organization and has toiled in the minors across parts of seven seasons and 211 games pitched. The story with Yan, though, isn't the doggedness necessary to crack the show after such a long time in the minors. Rather, it's how Yan punctuates his strikeouts on the mound.
On Wednesday night, the lefty Yan in his big-league debut worked the sixth inning of the Mets' eventual 6-5 win in extras over Cleveland. In that one inning of work, he allowed no runs on two hits and a walk and recorded a pair of strikeouts. Speaking of strikeouts, Yan recorded one of the looking variety against Angel Martínez, the first batter he faced, and that occasioned the celebration we mentioned above:
That's not something Yan concocted just for his big-league debut. Rather, he's been celebrating his strikeouts in such a manner while in the minors. See here, for instance, the moment during spring training 2025:
The Jefry Yan Experience pic.twitter.com/yHbZ5r5rB4
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) February 25, 2025
Baseball is a sport in which demonstrative displays of emotion are often frowned upon, and not surprisingly Yan's strikeout ritual has its detractors. Yan indeed heard some boos from the Cleveland fans following the strikeout celebration above and following his inning-ending strikeout in that same frame. "They can do what they want," Yan post-game said of the fans' reaction, via the Athletic. "They're paying for their ticket. I'm in my zone, and I'm going to enjoy my game the way I want to."
For his part, Martinez, the victim of Yan's first big-league strikeout, certainly didn't sound bothered by the triumphant ritual of his former winter league teammate. "That's his game," said Martínez. "I'm just really happy for him that he was able to get this far, and I wish the best of luck for him."
On his side, the Mets could probably use some enthusiasm and positive energy right above, what with their gravely disappointing 2026 season to date. "The energy that he brings is something that we're seeing with him coming here, and even postgame we went kind of hard," Mets right-hander Christian Scott said about Yan, per the New York Daily News. "He's got electric stuff too, so the celebration is one thing, but he's also coming through out of the bullpen."
So the celebration is welcome in the Mets clubhouse it seems, and even more welcome are the bullpen innings that Yan will provide. The recent trade deadline saw the Mets part ways with multiple relievers, and they'll need quality innings from Yan and other reinforcements in order to get through the season. All the better if those innings come with a much-needed vibes shift.
