A game that meant a great deal to New York only meant something to one of the city’s teams in the standings. 

The Yankees delivered in both regards. 

On a Friday night that began with an emotional pregame ceremony that honored all those lost 25 years ago in the Sept. 11 terror attacks, the Yankees kept pace in their division race, holding on late to beat the Mets 6-4 for their fourth straight win in front of a sellout crowd of 47,410 in The Bronx. 

Cody Bellinger crushed a three-run homer off Nolan McLean in the second inning that proved to be the difference, thanks in large part to a strong start from Carlos Rodón, as the Yankees (85-62) remained three games back of the Rays for first place in the AL East with 15 games left. They also moved to 5 ¹/₂ games clear of the Red Sox for the top AL wild card. 

“Today was a day where it felt bigger than the game and bigger than yourself,” said Bellinger, whose father, Clay, was a Yankee in 2001 and later became a firefighter. 

The Mets (68-79) threatened to play spoiler, coming alive late against the Yankees bullpen to nearly get all the way back from a 5-1 deficit before David Bednar finished off a five-out save. 

“Certainly wish the game outcome was different than it was, but special to be a part of,” Mets manager Andy Green said. 

The Yankees now have a chance to clinch a playoff berth as early as Saturday, needing a win and a Blue Jays loss. 

“Obviously as a club, we’re playing for a lot, but having some of the people involved back today and part of the pregame ceremonies, it felt special,” manager Aaron Boone said. “It felt like what you’d want a ballgame to feel like.” 

Ben Rice added another home run as part of a three-hit game while Luis García Jr. chipped in three hits and some slick defense at first base to support Rodón, who struck out eight across 6 ¹/₃ innings of two-run ball. 

Paul Blackburn and Brent Headrick, two of the Yankees’ best but most-used relievers, both got into trouble in relief of Rodón. They combined to record three outs and give up two runs while both loading the bases (Blackburn in the seventh, Headrick in the eighth). But Headrick escaped Blackburn’s jam in the seventh by snagging a line drive right back to him off the bat of Francisco Lindor — after a fan waving a Palestine flag ran onto the field and caused a delay — to strand three Mets. 

Bednar then bailed out Headrick in the eighth — after Carson Benge worked a 10-pitch walk to load the bases — getting two fly balls, one of which was Marcus Semien’s sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 5-3, to end the inning. 

After Ryan McMahon provided some insurance in the eighth with an RBI single, A.J. Ewing led off the top of the ninth with a home run off Bednar. But the Yankees closer eventually slammed the door by getting ex-Yankee Juan Soto — who was booed vociferously by the home crowd all night — to ground into a double play to end it. 

The Yankees tagged McLean for a career-worst 10 hits across five innings in which he allowed five runs. They were on him from the start, loading the bases with no outs in the bottom of the first, though they had to settle for only one run on Spencer Jones’ RBI single. 

The Mets tied it in the top of the second after a fielding error by Jones in left-center field allowed both runners to move up 90 feet, putting Mark Vientos in position to score when Christopher Morel grounded out to deep shortstop. 

But the Yankees took the lead back for good in the bottom of the second in a rally that began with a one-out single from Anthony Volpe in his second game back from Triple-A replacing the injured Jazz Chisholm Jr. 

Rice followed with another single on a 10-pitch at-bat before Bellinger appeared to draw a walk when he took a 3-1 pitch out of the zone, only for it to be called a strike. He said he considered challenging but not until it was too late, though he made the most of it, belting the next pitch into the right field seats for a three-run shot that made it 4-1. 

“Obviously glad I didn’t do it,” Bellinger, wearing an FDNY cap, said with a grin. 

“That felt like a little bit of an exhale moment, like we were off and running,” Boone said. “But credit to the Mets, they were able to hold us down and climb back into it.”