Mets 11, Pirates 7: It was a good (Opening) Day
· Yahoo Sports
The Mets are the winningest team in baseball history on Opening Day. That trend continued today at Citi Field, as the Mets defeated the Pittsbirgh Pirates by a score of 11-7.
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Freddy Peralta took the ball for the Mets, and ran into some early trouble. Oneil Cruz dorked a ball to right-center field to lead off the game, and then new Pirate Brandon Lowe got a wind-aided home run that barely got over the right-field wall and just missed Carson Benge’s glove. Now down 2-0, Peralta buckled down and struck out the side.
The reigning Cy Young winner Paul Skenes came to the mound in the bottom of the first and things did not go as planned. Francisco Lindor led off with a walk, and advanced to third on a lightly hit single by Juan Soto. Lindor scored on a sacrifice fly by Bo Bichette, halving the Pittsburgh lead.
Then, things got interesting.
Jorge Polanco hit a nubber up the third base line and reached first without a throw. Luis Robert, Jr. drew a ten-pitch walk to load the bases. Brett Baty then hit a ball over the head of Cruz in center field, tripling and clearing the bases. Marcus Semien then doubled on another missed ball for Cruz, scoring Baty and putting the Mets up 5-2.
After striking out Carson Benge in his first big league at-bat, Skenes then (barely) hit Francisco Alvarez. That would do it for Skenes, who was run from the game before the end of the first inning. Four hits, five earned runs, two walks, a hit by pitch and one strikeout would be his line on the day.
Johan Ramírez relieved him, and let the Pirates breathe a little bit with two and a third innings of scoreless ball.
Both teams would offensively slow down after their first inning seven total runs. In the top of the third, after the first successful ABS challenge of the season, the Pirates added a third run on a solo home run by Lowe.
In the bottom of the fourth, Mason Montgomery came in for the Pirates and instantly walked both Lindor and Soto to put two on with no out. After a Bichette strikeout and a Polanco fly out, Robert hit a ground ball that got past shortstop Jared Triolo to restore the Mets’ three-run lead.
Nick Gonzalez singled to lead off the fifth for Pittsburgh, and one pitch later, Henry Davis doubled down the left-field line for an RBI double. Peralta struck out Cruz, induced a weak ground ball from Lowe, and a strikeout to Bryan Reynolds to escape the fifth up 6-4. All told, Peralta went five innings, allowing six hits and four earned runs with seven strikeouts.
The Mets added on in the fifth, and continued to showcase their ‘all hands on deck’ offensive approach. Benge drew a one-out walk, which was followed up by an Alvarez single and a Lindor walk. Juan Soto shot a ball to left to score Benge, and the three run lead was back yet again. After a Bichette strike out, Polanco walked to drive in a run, and Robert hit a ball into no-man’s land off of first and beat out the throw with another run scoring. The Mets were now up 9-4.
Tobias Myers was first up out of the bullpen ofr the Mets, and saw Ryan O’Hearn get a jetstream assisted home run to left field to bring the lead – you guessed it – back to three for the Mets.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Mets struck again, with Benge collecting not just his first big league hit, but big league home run on a solo shot to center field. One batter later, Alvarez struck with his own homer, and the Mets were up 11-5.
Myers stayed in the game for the seventh and eighth and did not allow another baserunner after the O’Hearn homer, instantly showing his value as a long man. He would eventually give way to Luis Garcia in the ninth. O’Hearn singled to lead off the frame, and Triolo doubled one pitch later to put men on second and third with no one out. After striking out Spencer Hortiwz, Garcia gave up a two-RBI double to Nick Gonzales to cut the lead to 11-7.
However, Garcia buckled down and struck out Cruz to end the game and secure the dub.
The Mets have off tomorrow, before resuming play on Saturday with David Peterson on the mound.
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