Whether he is pitching for or against the Mets this season, Michael Tonkin has had zero luck.
After the righty reliever’s season began disastrously wearing a Mets jersey, his successful comeback in pinstripes took a detour against those same Mets in a 3-2 Yankees loss in The Bronx on Tuesday night.
Called upon in the sixth inning of a tie game, Tonkin witnessed the same kind of results he experienced as a Met reappear against his old club.
He served up a leadoff double to Pete Alonso, who moved to third on a long fly out from Mark Vientos.
Tonkin could not finish off Jeff McNeil during an eight-pitch at-bat, the seventh pitch a foul tip that catcher Carlos Narvaez could not hang on to.
Given another chance, McNeil reversed a 93 mph, full-count fastball over the wall in right-center for the go-ahead runs and a lead that the Mets would not surrender.
“Slider would have been the better option, but execution wasn’t there either,” said Tonkin, who was charged with two runs in 1 ¹/₃ innings. “I’m trying to go up [in the zone] there, and it wasn’t up.”
Tonkin’s ERA rose to just 2.04 as a Yankee.
He has been a solid, multi-inning and occasional back-of-the-bullpen threat for a team that has needed him, but his worst moments this season have just about all involved the Mets.
The 34-year-old veteran won a spot in Carlos Mendoza’s Opening Day bullpen with a strong spring.
He was used twice in extra innings in the first week of the season, allowing a combined eight runs (two earned) in a pair of losses to the Tigers.
He was designated for assignment, pitched for the Twins for one game, was DFA’d and found his way back to the Mets, who watched him let up two runs in three innings before a second DFA by the same team in the same month.
The Yankees put in a claim, asked him to throw more sliders and two-seamers, and he was fixed.
Tonkin has been an answer in a bullpen filled with questions, and one that has lost Jonathan Loaisiga, Ian Hamilton and Nick Burdi to injury.
But with McNeil in the box, the Mets got a glimpse of the only Tonkin they have known this season.
“I think winning all games is the goal here,” said Tonkin, who shrugged off the opponent. “And it doesn’t matter who it’s against.”