Jefry Yan deploys electric celebration after first…
Jefry Yan celebrated accordingly after his long-awaited first MLB strikeout.
The Mets’ 29-year-old rookie reliever fanned Guardians pinch-hitter Angel Martínez during his big league debut Wednesday at Progressive Field, then immediately unveiled the wild celebration that made him a viral sensation in the minor leagues.
Yan jumped into the air, kicked his legs aside and landed before emphatically pumping his arms.
Jefry Yan of the New York Mets celebrates after hanging out Angel Martínez of the Cleveland Guardians for his first profession strikeout during the sixth inning of his major league debut at Progressive Field on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, in Cleveland, Ohio. Getty Images
After permitting two singles and a stroll, the left-hander later struck out Chase DeLauter and obtained Jo Adell to ground into a pressure out to end a scoreless sixth inning.
Yan had promised to carry his trademark celebration with him after the Mets promoted him from Triple-A Syracuse this week.
“I am going to continue to go out there the same way,” Yan said through an interpreter Tuesday. “I am going to go out there with the same type of emotion, the same type of fun — have fun like I am playing a kids’ game, like I always have.”
Jefry Yan of the New York Mets throws a pitch during the sixth inning of his major league debut against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on August 5, 2026, in Cleveland, Ohio. (Getty Images) Getty Images
The second marked the end of a long journey for Yan, who signed with the Angels as a teenager but underwent Tommy John surgical procedure and was out of skilled baseball.
He labored as a roofer and returned to the mound through a males’s league in Arizona and later pitched in the Marlins group, Japan and the Rockies’ system before becoming a member of the Mets.
Yan recorded a 3.24 ERA and 77 strikeouts across 41 2/3 innings between Double-A Binghamton and Syracuse this season before finally getting the call up to the majors.
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