Jefry Yan struck out his first big league hitter in the sixth inning Wednesday night. He celebrated with a style all his own. He jumped off the mound, hung in the air for a beat and came down with one leg shot out underneath him, most of the way into a split. Jefry Yan records his first career strikeout and has the celebration to match! pic.twitter.com/2aW0HdrViM MLB (@MLB) August 6, 2026This had been one of the most anticipated moments of what is left of the New York Mets' season. Yan has been doing some version of this for five years, through the Marlins system, winter ball at home in the Dominican, a season in Japan and a Rockies spring training that turned him into a clip everybody had seen by April. Some nights it's finger guns. Some nights he calls the out himself, arm cocked like an umpire. He has gotten a lot of practice recently. He touched 101.6 miles per hour with his fastball this month and struck out better than half the hitters he faced. He also walked almost one in six. He turns 30 this month. The Angels signed him at 16, he blew out his elbow at 19, and he spent five years outside of affiliated baseball, roofing houses in Arizona and delivering appliances. So, he's earned the right to enjoy his time on the mound. It's just that other teams in the big leagues may not find it as enjoyable. Asked if the big leagues called for him to tame it down a bit, he said no. Interim Mets manager Andy Green told reporters that opposing clubs have mostly decided he's harmless, a guy enjoying himself rather than a guy running them down. Hopefully for Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor, teams continue to feel that way down the stretch when they are fighting for a playoff spot against the Mets. For New York fans though, at least this is something exciting and fun after what has already been a brutal season.This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Mets pitcher Jefry Yan nearly did the splits after first MLB strikeout