The New York Mets started the regular season by losing their first series. However, in true Mets fashion, they bounced back to win two out of three games against the Miami Marlins and then swept the Toronto Blue Jays in their third series of the season.
The Mets began the season on Thursday, March 27, in an away affair against the Houston Astros. They lost their first game 3-1, falling short to the Astros pitching with just a few lackluster hits, the only notable one being Francisco Lindor’s RBI to claim their sole run in the ninth inning. However, the Mets showed promise in their next game, bringing in two runs in the second via RBIs by Mark Vientos and Jesse Winker. Juan Soto recorded his first home run with the Mets in the third, helping secure the 3-1 win. Despite coming back in their second game, the Mets failed to capture their first series win, getting a single run once again as Jose Siri made it home in the sixth from a Soto RBI.
On March 31, the Mets started their second series in Florida against the Marlins by giving fans whiplash. In defiance of their performance in Houston, the Mets brought in a total of 10 runs to beat the Marlins’ four. Starling Marte countered the Marlins’ first run with a home run of his own, tying the game in the third. Siri showed his worth in the fifth by doubling to allow Luisangel Acuña to score their second run. A strong fifth inning extended the Mets’ lead, beginning with a Pete Alonso grand slam. The fifth proved to be the Mets’ inning of the night, as a homer by Luis Torrens resulted in two more runs. The Mets’ hitting power continued and stalled out into the sixth, where their final two runs of the game were scored by a Nimmo homer, with Alonso obtaining his second run and the Mets claiming the first game.
The Mets looked to continue their success in the second game, as another Nimmo homer in the second put the Mets on the board. Lindor tied the game 2-2 in the third with a single, providing Acuña the opportunity to score. However, the Marlins added two more runs, and the Mets failed to equalize, tying the series at one-a-piece. The Mets started the third game by bringing in the first run by an Alonso double in the first inning, giving Soto a chance to score. The Marlins scored two runs in the third, erasing the Mets lead. The game was quiet until the seventh, when the Marlins scored twice more. Then in the top of the eighth, Alonso showed his power once again with a homer, bringing the game to a 4-4 tie as Lindor and Soto scored. The game continued into extra innings, with Winker earning a walk while the bases were full in the eleventh, allowing Soto to score his third run of the night. Then, Vientos reached on a fielding error by Marlins shortstop Xavier Edwards, allowing Alonso to score and give them the 6-4 lead. Danny Young started the bottom of the eleventh, allowing one unearned run and getting one out. He was replaced by Huascar Brazobán who got the last two outs and secured the game and series win for the Mets.
The Mets returned to Citi Field for their home opener against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday, April 4. The first game of the series was eventful, but more relaxed than previous games for Mets fans, as the team brought home the win 5-0. Alonso continued his home run streak in the first inning of the game, getting two runs as he scored Lindor. Lindor scored again in the sixth due to a Soto RBI double; the favor was returned as Soto himself scored the same inning during a Nimmo RBI double. Marte hit a sacrifice fly, making the game 5-0 with a Nimmo run.
The second game of the series was infinitely more tense for fans. The game started out slow but picked up in the fourth and fifth innings as the Blue Jays scored once in each. By the bottom of the eighth, Mets fans had lost all hope, but then Winker tripled, allowing Lindor and Soto to score and tie the game. Closer Edwin Diaz held the Blue Jays at bay during the top of the ninth, and a sacrifice fly by Lindor allowed Siri to run home in the bottom of the last inning, securing the 3-2 win for the Mets. The third game was also mostly uneventful hitting-wise, with only a Hayden Senger run via an Alonso single and a Soto run by a Nimmo sacrifice fly, both in the third inning. The Blue Jays attempted to make a comeback by profiting off of pitcher David Peterson’s apparent illness by scoring a run off him in the fifth. Once Peterson was relieved by Max Kranick, the Blue Jays didn’t get another run in, allowing the Mets to win the third game and sweep the series.
The Mets continued their run at home against the Miami Marlins on Monday, April 7.
