Mets Opening Day blog from Citi Field

Put it in the books!

It got a little dicey in the ninth, but the Mets win, 11-7. 

Luis Garcia allowed a single to Ryan O'Hearn and a double to Jared Triolo to lead off the ninth. After a Spencer Horwitz strikeout, Nick Gonzales hit a double to right to score both O'Hearn and Triolo, but he got Henry Davis to fly out and Oneil Cruz to strike out to end it.

The Mets are now 42-23 on Opening Day; their .686 winning percentage on Opening Day remains the highest in MLB. It's also the Mets' first Opening Day win since 2023.

Benge, Alvarez blast off

Welcome to the big leagues, Carson Benge.

Benge, making his MLB debut, crushed a one-out, first-pitch sweeper from Pirates reliever Justin Lawrence into right-centerfield for a solo home run — his first career hit — to give the Mets a 10-5 lead. 

Benge is the 11th player since 2000 to make his MLB debut for the Mets on Opening Day, and just the fourth position player since 2000 to make his MLB debut for the Mets on Opening Day. He's also now the second Met since 2000 to homer in his MLB debut on Opening Day. The other? Kaz Matsui in 2004.

Francisco Alvarez then made it back-to-back blasts, hitting Lawrence's 2-2 fastball 429 feet into the second deck in left-centerfield for an 11-5 lead.

Peralta out, Mets' bullpen gives up a HR

Freddy Peralta's Mets debut is over after five innings. He allowed four runs (all earned) and struck out seven on 80 pitches (53 strikes), putting him in line for the win should things continue as they are.

Tobias Myers entered in relief but allowed a one-out homer to Ryan O'Hearn, who took Myers' full-count, 91.9-mph four-seamer 358 feet down the leftfield line to cut the Mets' lead to 9-5. He got out of the inning without any further damage, getting Jared Triolo to fly out to center and Spencer Horwitz to pop out to third.

Another big inning for Mets

The Mets continue to pour it on.

A Marcus Semien flyout, Carson Benge walk, Francisco Alvarez single and Francisco Lindor walk brought Juan Soto to the plate, and he poked a one-out ground ball into leftfield off Pirates releiver Isaac Matson to extend the Mets' lead to 7-4. 

Bo Bichette ended a 13-pitch at-bat with a swinging strikeout, but Jorge Polanco drew a four-pitch walk to force in Alvarez and make it 8-4. Luis Robert Jr., who already recorded his first RBI as a Met an inning earlier, reached on a check-swing infield single to first, scoring Lindor and making it 9-4.

Brett Baty, who cleared the bases once before with a three-run triple in the first, flew out to left to end the inning.

Pirates cut into Mets' lead again

The Mets now lead 6-4 after 4 1/2 innings after Pirates third baseman Nick Gonzales scored from first on an RBI double by Pirates catcher Henry Davis.

Mets starter Freddy Peralta has allowed four runs (all earned) and struck out seven on 80 pitches (53 strikes) through five innings. If the score holds up, he'd be in line for the win in his Flushing debut.

Welcome to the Mets' RBI history books, Luis Robert Jr.

Mets take a 6-3 lead in the fourth.

Pirates trim deficit on Lowe's second HR

Have a day, Brandon Lowe.

The Pirates second baseman hit his second home run of the game with two outs in the top of the third inning to cut the Mets' lead to 5-3.

Lowe hit Freddy Peralta's 1-0, 92.8-mph fastball 402 feet into right-centerfield.

The 31-year-old lefty-hitting Lowe now has 159 career home runs, including 31 last season for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Still no love for the Bronx Giraffe

The Manhattan skyscraper prevailed in the first five-borough mascot race of the 2026 season.

And, yet again, the Bronx giraffe lost. The giraffe, now 0-82 in his mascot-racing career, had the lead until being checked into the centerfield wall by the Queens 7 Line train.

Opening Day, in picture form

Check out our top shots from Mets Opening Day at Citi Field. (Yes, Sushi the pitbull is among them.)

SEE PHOTOSMets Opening Day 2026 photos

Want walk-up song info? Let's go to the video board!

New at Citi Field this year, the Mets displayed each player’s walk-up song on the video board when they came up to bat.

The Mets sent 10 batters to the plate against the Pirates in the first inning, nine who faced Paul Skenes before he was pulled after 37 pitches in two-thirds of an inning. Here were their walk-up songs:

• Francisco Lindor (first at-bat): “My Girl” by The Temptations
• Juan Soto: “Soldado” by Juan Luis Guerra
• Bo Bichette: “Money Trees” by Kendrick Lamar
• Jorge Polanco: “Nunca creyeron” by Wilmer Roberts
• Luis Robert Jr.: “Mi Nombre” by Bebeshito
• Brett Baty: “BOO” by H3adband
• Marcus Semien: “GOT A REASON” by KB
• Carson Benge: “Run This Town” by Jay-Z
• Francisco Alvarez: “tu no vive asi” by Bad Bunny and Arcangel
• Lindor (second at-bat): “Stand by Me” by Ben E. King

Crowd reactions as Mets open the season with 5 runs

The first "My Girl" crowd sing-along as Francisco Lindor comes to the plate to begin the season.

After Brett Baty's triple

Bye-bye, Paul Skenes

Mets roar back, take lead in bottom of first

The Mets came up to bat for the first time this season against Pirates ace Paul Skenes down 2-0.

10 batters later, that two-run deficit became a three-run lead, and the reigning NL Cy Young winner was chased from the game.

Francisco Lindor drew a full-count leadoff walk, then reached third on Juan Soto's bloop single to center ahead of the throw from Pirates centerfielder Oneil Cruz. Bo Bichette's sac fly to right plated Lindor to score the Mets' first run of the season. Jorge Polanco reached on a check-swing infield single, then Luis Robert Jr. battled through a 10-pitch at-bat to to draw a walk and load the bases.

Brett Baty then sent an 0-1, 89.5-mph changeup into centerfield. Cruz misread the ball, which went over his head and to the centerfield wall. Soto, Polanco and Robert Jr. all scored on the triple to give the Mets a 4-2 lead. Marcus Semien then doubled in Baty to extend the lead to 5-2.

Skenes got Carson Benge to strike out swinging but then hit Francisco Alvarez with an 0-1 sinker, prompting Pirates manager Don Kelly to pull him for reliever Yohan Ramirez after 37 pitches. Skenes' final line: four hits, five runs (all earned), two walks, one strikeout in just 2/3 of an inning.

Mets fans gave Skenes some mock cheers and waved goodbye as he walked to the dugout.

After a passed ball by Pirates catcher Henry Davis, Lindor flied out to left in his second at-bat of the inning to end it.

Peralta's rocky first inning

Freddy Peralta's first inning as the Mets' ace had its ups and downs — or rather, one big down followed by one big up.

Peralta, who joined the Mets via a trade from the Brewers in the offseason, allowed a full-count single to Pirates leadoff batter Oneil Cruz. On the next pitch, Peralta left a 79.9-mph curveball over the middle of the plate for Brandon Lowe, who sent it over the rightfield wall past a leaping Carson Benge for a two-run homer.

Peralta settled down quickly after that, getting swinging strikeouts of Bryan Reynolds and Marcell Ozuna and getting Ryan O'Hearn to strike out looking to get out of the inning.

Clubhouse maneuvering: Soto's locker changes sides

When the Mets’ clubhouse door swung open Thursday morning, there were some noticeable changes.

Juan Soto, whose locker had been adjacent to the entrance door, with Francisco Lindor on the other side, was moved all the way to opposite end of the room, into the locker previously occupied by his good friend, Starling Marte (now with the Royals).

Marcus Semien -- Lindor’s new double-play partner -- now resides in Soto’s old locker and third baseman Bo Bichette is his neighbor. So the Mets now have their infield core together, at least, and Soto is in a different clubhouse zip code than Lindor.

New closer Devin Williams occupies Edwin Diaz’s former spot in relievers row. David Peterson has taken over Brandon Nimmo’s locker and Luis Torrens had moved into Pete Alonso’s vacant spot, alongside Francisco Alvarez, who is now in Jeff McNeil’s old locker.

Opening Day starter Freddy Peralta, the club’s new ace, now resides in Frankie Montas’ former locker, next to Sean Manaea.

Davey Johnson tributes

The Mets dedicated part of their Opening Day festivities to former manager Davey Johnson, who delivered the franchise the 1986 World Series title and died at 82 on Sept. 5.

Mets, who will wear memorial “Davey” patches on their home and away jerseys this season, played a tribute video on the video board in centerfield before introducing both teams.

“Davey was a bold manager who led with a quiet confidence and an unwavering belief in his team,” Mets owners Steve and Alex Cohen said about the patch in a statement Tuesday. “He cared deeply for his players both on and off the field. Some of the greatest players in our team history credit him for their successes. In the 40th anniversary of the 1986 championship, this is a fitting tribute to the man who guided the team to that title.”

Johnson’s stepson Jeremiah Allen and grandson Kai Casebolt were introduced and tossed ceremonial first pitches. Darryl Strawberry and Mookie Wilson, who played for Johnson, were the catchers.

Howie Rose's last Opening Day?

Howie Rose has announced that he will be retiring as Mets radio broadcaster after this season, but he also said he'd like to be involved with the team somehow. Here he is during the pregame introductions for what could be his final time.

How Carlos Mendoza made his Opening Day lineup

Carlos Mendoza on today’s lineup construction:

“I could’ve gone a lot of different ways. And it goes to show you that we’ve got a deep lineup, when we’re talking about having a decision whether you hit [Francisco] Alvarez ninth or fifth. It goes to show you that they’re capable of hitting anywhere in the lineup. I just thought with how Luis [Robert] looked in spring training, the track record when he’s healthy, and just continue to create balance.”

“You could make a case for Marcus Semien hitting seventh or ninth. There was a lot of different directions I could have gone and I just decided to go that way.”

Ballpark foodie checks in for stadium food 1 of 162

The new french dip at Citi Field. The peppercorn crusted beef is fine but the caramelized onions are cloyingly sweet. I like the boursin horseradish. The au jus was good but extremely cold (?). Wish the onion ciabatta was crustier. Worst of all, it's 28 AMERICAN DOLLARS. 4.5/10

Here's your Mets Opening Day hype video

Where to watch the Mets today

The Mets' Opening Day game will not be televised by SNY. It will be on NBC and the streaming service Peacock.

The announcers will be Matt Vasgersian, former Mets pitcher Al Leiter and former Pirates and Mets infielder Neil Walker. NBC is planning to use local analysts alongside its regular play-by-play voices this season, its first with a regular baseball schedule since 2000.

SNY will have a pregame show starting at noon and then postgame coverage. Local station NBC 4 New York will also have a pregame show starting at noon.

NBC and Peacock’s coverage will begin at 1 p.m., with the game scheduled to start at 1:15.

The first Mets game on SNY will be the second game of the season on Saturday afternoon.

The 'No Casino' fans have arrived

Last December, a New York State panel approved three casino proposals for lucrative gambling licenses, including one at Citi Field.

Billionaire Mets owner Steve Cohen proposed an $8.1 billion Hard Rock casino complex on a parking lot of Citi Field, including a performance venue, hotel and retail space.

On Opening Day for the Mets, not everyone seemed thrilled with the idea, as Newsday's Ben Dickson took note of here:

Starting lineups for Mets vs. Pirates

METS STARTING LINEUP

1. Francisco Lindor, SS
2. Juan Soto, LF
3. Bo Bichette, 3B
4. Jorge Polanco, 1B
5. Luis Robert Jr. CF
6. Brett Baty, DH
7. Marcus Semien, 2B
8. Carson Benge, RF
9. Francisco Alvarez, C

SP: Freddy Peralta

PIRATES STARTING LINEUP

1. Oneil Cruz, CF
2. Brandon Lowe, 2B
3. Bryan Reynolds, LF
4. Marcell Ozuna, DH
5. Ryan O'Hearn, RF
6. Jared Triolo, SS
7. Spencer Horwitz, 1B
8. Nick Gonzales, 3B
9. Henry Davis, C

SP: Paul Skenes

Some Mets-Pirates Opening Day history

The last time the Mets faced the Pirates was April 1, 2002. Al Leiter got the win that day for the Mets, outdueling Pittsburgh's Ron Villone in a 5-2 win.

For some perspective, today's starting pitcher for Pittsburgh, reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes, was not yet born. (That would happen 57 days later.)

Today is the eighth time the Mets have played the Pirates to open the season and are 5-2 in the first seven.

First impressions last, and can travel over fences, too

First, a list of position players making their Mets debut today:

• Carson Benge
• Bo Bichette
• Jorge Polanco
• Marcus Semien
• Luis Robert Jr.

And second, the list of players who have homered in their first at-bat as a Met:

Benny Ayala: August 27, 1974 (first MLB at-bat)

Mike Fitzgerald: September 13, 1983 (first MLB at-bat)

Rick Cerone: April 9, 1991

José Vizcaíno: April 4, 1994 (walked in his first plate appearance)

Todd Pratt: July 4, 1997

Mike Bordick: July 29, 2000 (first pitch)

Bubba Trammell: July 30, 2000

Kazuo Matsui: April 6, 2004 (first pitch of first MLB at-bat)

Mike Jacobs: August 21, 2005 (first MLB at-bat)

Robinson Cano: March 28, 2019

Rajai Davis: May 22, 2019

Aaron Altherr: May 24, 2019

Brett Baty: August 17, 2022 (first MLB at-bat)

The Mets' Opening Day history

As the Mets get ready for their 65th Opening Day, some fun facts about their previous 64:

• The Mets are 41-23 on Opening Day, the best winning percentage of any MLB team in season openers.
• They are 7-3 in their last 10 Opening Day games. They have lost their last two, both 3-1 defeats (at Houston in 2025, and at home against Milwaukee in 2024).
• The Mets lost their first eight Opening Days (1962-69), then went 18-2 in their next 20 season openers from 1970 to 1989, including a streak of nine straight from 1975-83. 
• When rookie rightfielder Carson Benge takes the field today, he will become the 11th player since 2000 to make his MLB debut for the Mets on Opening Day. He also will become just the fourth position player since 2000 to make his MLB debut for the Mets on Opening Day. The last position player to do so? Pete Alonso in 2019.
• David Wright made 12 Opening Day starts with the Mets, the most in franchise history.

Citi Field feels like home now

Tens of thousands of Mets fans will be walking into Citi Field today, a building that once felt more like a neutral site than it did the home of the Mets.

But Citi Field has finally started to feel like the Mets' home rather than just an homage to Ebbets Field and the Brooklyn Dodgers.

“In the beginning, we got criticized a lot for the Brooklyn Dodgers stuff,” Mets team historian and vice president of alumni relations Jay Horwitz said in this Newsday article from our preview section about baseball's great stages. “We didn’t really pay enough homage to our past. I think as the years went by, we realized that we had to get away from other teams and talk about our teams [as well]. We just tried to make it so fans [were surrounded] by Mets history.”

Opening Day ceremony details

National anthem: Tony Award-nominated actor Christopher Jackson, who originated the role of George Washington in "Hamilton."

Ceremonial first pitch: Davey Johnson’s widow, Susan, will escort Jeremiah Allen, Johnson’s stepson, and Kai Casebolt, Johnson’s grandson, to the mound for ceremonial first pitches. Darryl Strawberry and Mookie Wilson, both of whom played for Johnson, will catch the pitches.

Actual first pitch: Scheduled for 1:10 p.m. by the Mets' Freddy Peralta, who gets the Opening Day start against Pittsburgh's reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes.

"God Bless America" in 7th-inning stretch: NYPD Detective Brianna Fernandez.

Veteran of the Game: Arthur Grabiner, 100, served in Navy in the Pacific during World War II.

Mets' Opening Day roster

Here are the 26 players on hand for the Mets as they face the Pirates on Thursday at Citi Field:

CATCHERS (2)

Francisco Alvarez, Luis Torrens

INFIELDERS (7)

Brett Baty, Bo Bichette, Francisco Lindor, Jorge Polanco, Marcus Semien, Mark Vientos, Jared Young

OUTFIELDERS (4)

Carson Benge, Luis Robert Jr., Juan Soto, Tyrone Taylor

PITCHERS (13)

Huascar Brazobán (RHP), Luis García (RHP), Clay Holmes (RHP), Richard Lovelady (LHP), Sean Manaea (LHP), Nolan McLean (RHP), Tobias Myers (RHP), Freddy Peralta (RHP), David Peterson (LHP), Brooks Raley (LHP), Kodai Senga (RHP), Luke Weaver (RHP), Devin Williams (RHP)