The Young and Relentless, Mets knock Skenes out in the First in 11-7 Opening Day win Over Bucs

Mets 11 Pirates 7  (Citi Field, Flushing, NY)

Mets record: 1-0

Mets streak: W1

L10 : 1-0

WP - Freddy Peralta 1-0

LP - Paul Skenes 0-1

Seat on the Korner: Luis Robert Jr.

We select a Star of the Game and virtually invite him to take his Seat on the Korner—just as Ralph Kiner did on WOR-TV Channel 9 during the early days of the New York Mets.

Continuing the tradition of Rheingold Beer sponsoring Kiner’s Korner, this season every seat is proudly presented by The Main Event Restaurant & Sports Bar.

With locations in Plainview and Farmingdale, The Main Event features 80+ HD TVs, fresh daily seafood, and Black Angus certified steaks—so you never have to choose between great food and the big game.

Tonight’s Seat on the Korner goes to Luis Robert Jr. On a day when every starter had either a hit or an RBI, it wasn’t an easy choice — the lineup was buzzing, and the scoreboard could have justified filling the WOR studio with half the team. But ultimately, Luis Robert Jr. gets the seat and, of course, the virtual vintage Members Only jacket that comes with it.

Robert Jr.’s day began in the bottom of the 1st with the Mets having cut Pittsburgh’s lead to 2–1. Runners were on first and second with one out, and the Mets needed a spark. Enter Robert Jr., squaring off against Pirates ace Paul Skenes in a battle that lasted 10 pitches. He fouled off curves, battled through sliders, and refused to chase any garbage pitches. The result? A walk to load the bases and that walk immediately set the stage for Brett Baty’s game-changing three-run triple.

Defensively, Robert Jr. was just as impressive. In the top of the 3rd, he tracked down a Marcel Ozuna fly ball in center and made a diving grab to end the frame. It wasn’t just a catch it was a statement: The Mets have an elite defender in center.

Offensively, he kept delivering. In the bottom of the 4th, Robert Jr. singled on a grounder to left field, bringing in Francisco Lindor and moving Juan Soto to second. The exit velocity? 94.2 mph. Distance? 93 feet. Launch angle? 5 degrees. Pure, efficient, run-scoring baseball. And just one inning later, he added another single on a soft ground ball to first baseman Spencer Horwitz, driving in Lindor again, this time with a 39.9 mph “tap-in” that still counted exactly when it mattered.

By the end of the day, Robert Jr. went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI, a key walk to load the bases, and a highlight-reel catch in centerfield. He was the spark, the clutch performer, and the defensive anchor — the kind of player who makes the Kiner tradition feel alive and electric. On a day when the Mets’ lineup was firing on all cylinders, Luis Robert Jr. didn’t just contribute — he tilted the field, delivered the big plays, and earned every bit of that Seat on the Korner.

Need to Know

• Today marked the Mets debuting a memorial “Davey” patch honoring Davey Johnson, the winningest manager in franchise history (595 wins, .588), who led the 1986 team to a World Series title and averaged 95+ wins from 1984–1990.

• The Mets opened their 65th season today and entered with the best Opening Day record in MLB history (41–23, .641), ahead of the Seattle Mariners, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, and Los Angeles Dodgers

• After losing their first eight Opening Day contests, the Mets have won 42 of their last 57 Opening Day games.

• Today marks the earliest start to a Mets season ever.Last year marked the previous earliest start on March 27.

• The Mets opened at home for the first time since 2024; they are now 7–2 in home openers at Citi Field and 24–10 overall on Opening Day in Queens

• Carson Benge made his Major League debut today..He enters 2026 as the No. 16 prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline and No. 2 in the Mets

  system.He was named the 2025 Mets Minor League Player of the

  Year after batting .281/.385/.472 with 25 doubles, seven triples, 15

  homers, 73 RBI and 22 steals in 116 games between three levels

  last season.

• Freddy Peralta made his third career Opening Day start (all in New York), tossing 5.0 innings to get the win. He first time he pitched 6.0 innings of one-run ball at Citi Field in 2024 and allowed two runs over 5.0 innings at Yankee Stadium in 2025 both as a member of the Brewers; the Mets have now had five different Opening Day starters in five years, with Jacob deGrom the last repeat (2019–2021)

• This is the eighth time the Pirates have faced the Mets on Opening Day, the first since April 1, 2002, when they fell to New York, 6-2, at Shea Stadium.Pittsburgh's last Opening Day win against the Mets came on April 9, 1990, when Doug Drabek won a 12-3 decision vs. Dwight Gooden.Andy Van Slyke doubled, hit two homers, had four RBI and scored three times in the win.

• Paul Skenes made his second straight Opening Day start after allowing two runs and striking out seven batters over 5.1 innings last year on March 27 at Miami (he had a no-decision after the Pirates lost, 5-4, in walkoff fashion)...He became the franchise's youngest Opening Day starter (22 years and 302 days) since Frank Killen (22 years and 148 days) in 1893.

• Bryan Reynolds entered the day 15-for-39 (.385) in his career against Mets starter Freddy Peralta...The 15 hits are the most Peralta has allowed against any opposing hitter in MLB.

• Bryan Reynolds has started for Pittsburgh on Opening Day in seven consecutive seasons, dating back to 2020.He became the first Pirate to start in seven consecutive season openers since Andrew McCutchen (eight straight) from 2010-17.

• With Oneil Cruz getting the start in center the Pirates  have used a different center fielder in each of the last nine season openers (Starling Marte in 2018, JB Shuck in 2019, Jarrod Dyson in 2020, Anthony Alford in 2021, Bryan Reynolds in 2022, Jack Suwinski in 2023, Michael A. Taylor in

  2024, Oneil Cruz in 2025) and with Ryan O'Hearn getting the start in right they have had a different right fielder in each of the last eight season openers (Melky Cabrera in 2019, Guillermo Heredia in 2020, Gregory Polanco in 2021, Cole Tucker in 2022, Canaan Smith-Njigba in 2023, Connor Joe in 2024 and Bryan Reynolds in 2025).

• Mets extracted some payback to start this series as Pittsburgh outscored New York, 30-4, in a three-game sweep of the Mets last year from June 27-29 at PNC Park.Per the Elias Sports Bureau, the team's +26 run differential was tied for its fourth-best in any three-game series in team history (the Alleghenys outscored the Boston Beaneaters by 26 from August 9-11, 1887), behind May 13-15, 1935 at Philadelphia (+31), September 15-16, 1975 at Chicago (+29) and July 20-21, 1940 vs. Boston (+27)...Pittsburgh became the only Major League team during the Modern Era (since 1901) to score 30 runs, allow four or fewer runs and strike out 25 batters in a three-game series.

  
  

Turning Point

The subtitle of the turning point is OhNo Cruz.

After Brandon Lowe had given Pittsburgh an early lead with his two-run homer, the game truly flipped with Baty’s triple a ball that Oneil Cruz misplayed. The Mets went from being slightly behind (2–1) to suddenly commanding the scoreboard (4–2) in just one at-bat. This moment was pivotal for several reasons: it immediately put pressure back on the Pirates’ pitching ace Paul Skenes, forcing them into multiple mound visits and pitching changes, and gave the Mets a psychological edge. After this triple, the Mets were never seriously threatened; each subsequent inning built on that initial surge, turning the game into a steadily expanding lead. In essence, Baty’s triple didn’t just score runs — it defined the trajectory of the entire contest.

Three Keys

The Young and the Relentless

Through the middle innings, the Mets showed why patience at the plate isn’t just a virtue — it’s a weapon. Time and again, they capitalized on pitchers’ mistakes, drawing walks at crucial moments to keep rallies alive. In the 4th and 5th innings, Jorge Polanco, Juan Soto, and Francisco Lindor all extended innings with well-timed free passes, turning potential outs into runners in scoring position and forcing the Pirates into stressful, high-leverage situations. Every walk added pressure, every full count swung momentum in the Mets’ favor.

Pittsburgh tried to stem the tide by cycling through seven different pitchers, but the Mets were undeterred. The pattern was clear: the Pirates’ bullpen was stretched, and the Mets had learned to exploit every mistake. That strategy reached its peak in the 6th inning, when youthful power showed its teeth. 23-year-old Carson Benge launched his first career home run off Justin Lawrence, and moments later 24-year-old Francisco Alvarez followed suit with his own blast. Back-to-back dingers weren’t just a display of raw power — they were the payoff for discipline, patience, and relentless pressure on a tired bullpen.

By combining walks, timely hits, and smart baserunning, the Mets turned what could have been fleeting rallies into sustained, game-changing offensive stretches. The Pirates’ pen never had a chance to find its footing, and the result was a high-scoring, confidence-crushing series of innings that showcased how disciplined patience at the plate can become a team’s most dangerous weapon.

Ace vs Ace

Skenes vs. Peralta

The contrast between the two starters helped shape the game, but for the Mets, it was about Freddy Peralta doing just enough. He may not have had his sharpest stuff — allowing 4 runs on 6 hits, including two home runs to Brandon Lowe — but after those early punches, Peralta settled in,including striking out the side after the two run homer in the first, he went on to give the Mets five innings with 7 strikeouts and no walks. And sometimes, that’s exactly what the moment calls for.

He wasn’t dominant, he wasn’t overpowering — but he was steady, he avoided the free passes that can unravel an outing, and he gave the offense and bullpen a chance to take control. In a game where the Mets’ lineup did the heavy lifting, Peralta did his part — not perfectly, but effectively — and picked up his first win as a Met, which, at the end of the day, is what it’s all about.

Run Prevention

Much was made coming into the game about the Mets rolling out Bo Bichette at third base and Jorge Polanco at first, two players learning new positions they only picked up in Spring Training. Anytime you’re asking players to change their defensive home, there’s bound to be a spotlight — and maybe a few nerves — attached to every ground ball.

But this is where the Mets earned some credit. The defense wasn’t flashy, it didn’t make highlight reels, and it didn’t need to. What it was, however, was solid and dependable. Bichette handled his chances without issue, and Polanco even stepped in to save a play on a bad throw, bailing out his teammate.

No circus catches, no web gems — just clean, professional baseball. And in a game where the offense carried the headline, that kind of quiet, mistake-free defense was exactly what the Mets needed. Sometimes the best defense isn’t the one you notice — it’s the one you don’t.