Skenes Pulled in First Inning

Paul Skenes arrived at Citi Field as the reigning National League Cy Young winner – one of the most electric arms in the game, a pitcher who had never been chased that early in his entire career.

PAUL SKENES DONE AFTER 37 PITCHES 2/3 IP ON OPENING DAY AGAINST THE NEW YORK METS

— Gab (@gabrielleraucci) March 26, 2026

Pressure in Every At-Bat

Bichette and the Art of the Two-Strike Fight

One of the quieter storylines of the afternoon came in the fifth inning, when Bichette stepped in with the bases loaded against Pirates reliever Isaac Mattson. Bichette worked a 13-pitch at-bat. He fouled off eight consecutive two-strike pitches. Every one of them laced to the first base side.

Bo Bichette works the count for 13 pitches. 👀 pic.twitter.com/zq4nRI1su9

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) March 26, 2026

He finally struck out on a high slider. But that at-bat, a sequence of eight straight competitive fouls against a closing-caliber reliever in a critical situation, is exactly the fight this team had been missing in recent years.

Execution in the Aggregate

That is the Mets’ offense executing its [new] identity: not hopeful for one massive swing or moment of brute force, but a sequence of professional at-bats stacking on top of each other until the other team cracks.

Nine runs were manufactured entirely through contact, walks, and situational execution. David Stearns spent all winter talking about building “more competitive at-bats 1-through-9.” On day one, he got exactly that – 11 hits and nine walks, going 5-for-15 with runners in scoring position.

This is the most complete Mets lineup in a very long time

— Gab (@gabrielleraucci) March 26, 2026

Benge and Alvarez Brought Back-to-Back Power

In his major league debut, Carson Benge had two strikeouts and a walk before his sixth-inning at-bat against Justin Lawrence. He was 0-for-his-career as a major leaguer. Then, he put a swing on a fastball and deposited it into the seats – his first career hit, a solo home run.

WELCOME TO THE SHOW KID!!!@Carsonbenge3 | #LGM pic.twitter.com/TtPJHhQcn0

— New York Mets (@Mets) March 26, 2026

Francisco Alvarez piled on by delivering a 429-foot bomb to the second deck of left-center field in the next at-bat.

Alvy says hello to the second deck 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/CQHAHI6DZ9

— New York Mets (@Mets) March 26, 2026

‘Brew Crew’ Acquisitions Kept Mets Ahead

Freddy Peralta’s Mets debut was not flawless. Brandon Lowe caught him twice – a wind-aided two-run shot in the first inning, then a no-doubter to right-center in the fourth.
Four runs across five innings on 80 pitches was not the opening act Peralta envisioned. But seven strikeouts, zero walks, and an off-speed arsenal that bailed him out of trouble in the fifth inning is simply a preview of his ability to lock completely in after adjustments.

Tobias Myers was the real revelation on the pitching side. Acquired in the same Milwaukee trade that delivered Peralta, Myers handled three innings with one run allowed on one hit – a solo home run by Ryan O’Hearn – and looked every bit the multi-inning weapon the Mets projected. His slider generated multiple weak ground balls, and he worked with conviction throughout.

‘LuBob’ as Advertised

There was no obvious individual hero on Thursday; this was an all-hands performance, a collective 1-through-9 statement. But if you’re handing the game to one player, it’s Luis Robert Jr.
The 10-pitch walk against Skenes in the first inning was the turning point of the game. Robert fouled and laid off some of the most dangerous offerings in baseball from a pitcher who does not often face that kind of resistance, and that at-bat loaded the bases to set the table for Baty’s triple.

Having more than one table-setter in this deep lineup will provide plenty of payoff over 162 games.

Mets’ Most Complete Lineup

This Mets team knocked a Cy Young winner out in the first inning with at-bat after relentless at-bat.

.@Metsmerized forever pic.twitter.com/9Fn28oTYHs

— Gab (@gabrielleraucci) March 26, 2026