Category: MLB

The Mets knocked out NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes in the first inning with a five-run inning and continued to add on runs from there, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates, 11-7, on Opening Day at Citi Field.

The Mets are now 42-23 on Opening Day, the best such winning percentage in MLB.

Here are the top takeaways...

-- The Mets’ new-look offense was on full display in the season opener as they made contact in key situations, worked many deep counts in critical at-bats, and produced when it counted, going 5-for-15 with runners in scoring position.

Call it an early return on David Stearns’ offseason priority to build an offense with “more competitive at-bats 1-through-9" compared to seasons past.

With that in mind the Mets scored the first nine runs without a home run, as they had traffic on the bases all day. For the game they produced 11 hits while taking nine walks.

One of the low-key highlights was Luis Robert Jr.’s 10-pitch walk in the first inning against Skenes that loaded the bases and set up a five-run inning.

-- Freddy Peralta wasn’t great in his Mets’ debut, giving up four runs in five innings, coming out after throwing 80 pitches. But on this day it was good enough to get the win, and he showed flashes of the dominance he displayed with the Milwaukee Brewers, racking up seven strikeouts while allowing no walks.

His only major problem was Brandon Lowe, who took Peralta deep for two home runs, a two-run shot in the first inning that appeared to be wind-aided and then a no-doubter to right-center in the fourth, a solo shot.

Peralta showed off an impressive arsenal, leaning heavily on his off-speed stuff to get out of trouble in the fifth inning and leave the game with a 6-4 lead.

From there Tobias Myers, also acquired in the Peralta trade, showed why he could be an important addition as a multi-inning reliever. He threw three innings, allowing only one run on one hit, a home run by Ryan O’Hearn.

However, reliever Luis Garcia gave up two runs in the ninth, enough for Carlos Mendoza to get Devin Williams up in the pen before Garcia finished the inning.

-- In their wildest dreams the Mets probably didn’t see themselves knocking Skenes out of the game in the first inning, yet they did exactly that as they scored five runs and got his pitch count up to 37, at which point Pirates’ manager Don Kelly decided not to push his ace any further.

It was the first time in Skenes’ career that he’d been knocked out that early, and left him with an unsightly 67.50 ERA.

Skenes, the reigning NL Cy Young winner, was victimized by bad defense in center field by Oneil Cruz, who misplayed Brett Baty’s deep fly ball into a triple and then lost Marcus Semien’s fly ball in the sun as it dropped for a single.

Even so the Mets made him work hard, battling in some tough at-bats, particularly a 10-pitch at-bat by Robert Jr. that resulted in a walk, loading the bases with one out.

Baty’s triple, which Cruz misjudged, starting in for a couple of steps before retreating, was the big hit in the inning, giving the Mets a 4-1 lead.

-- Carson Benge had a memorable debut, hitting a sixth-inning solo home run off reliever Justin Lawrence, giving the Mets a 10-5 lead at the time. It was the first hit of his career after two K’s and a walk.

Mets fans responded with a curtain call as a smiling Benge popped out of the dugout to acknowledge the cheers.

In the same inning Francisco Alvarez hit a 429-foot bomb to the second deck in left that sounded like a cannon going off as it left his bat.

-- In the fifth inning Bo Bichette had a 13-pitch at-bat in which he fouled off eight straight two-strike pitches at one point. In the end he struck out with the bases loaded but the at-bat was evidence as to why he has been such an excellent clutch hitter, with a career .331 average with runners in scoring position.

With two strikes Bichette doesn’t use his big leg kick, and goes into contact mode, often looking to use the opposite field. On the eight straight foul balls, all were off to the first base side. He finally struck out when he was fooled by a high slider.

-- Alvarez was 2-for-2 as catcher challenging calls for his pitchers, getting two ball overturned to strikes via the new challenge system.

Game MVP: Luis Robert Jr.

There was no obvious choice, as the Mets spread their offense up and down the lineup, so I’ll give it to Robert for what may have been a turning point of sorts, a 10-pitch walk against Skenes in the first inning that loaded the bases and set Baty’s triple.

Robert, who could be a wild card of sorts for these Mets, fouled off or laid off some tough pitches from Skenes, no small feat against maybe the best pitcher in the NL.

Robert also had two singles on a 2-for-4 day and made a nice play in center field, getting a great jump to run down a line drive in right-center by Marcell Ozuna.

Highlights

After allowing a two-run homer, Freddy Peralta strikes out the next three batters pic.twitter.com/2yqYf2b3NP

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 26, 2026

Welcome to Queens, Bo Bichette!

He hits a sacrifice fly in his first plate appearance as a Met pic.twitter.com/WqVkBClKcB

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 26, 2026

BRETT BATY CLEARS THE BASES!

METS LEAD! pic.twitter.com/xDbBIjHIoo

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 26, 2026

Marcus Semien brings home the fifth run of the inning as Oneil Cruz misplays it in center! pic.twitter.com/BxKvs4A80C

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 26, 2026

Paul Skenes does not get out of the first inning on Opening Day against the Mets pic.twitter.com/4qaZs9P3uB

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 26, 2026

Can't forget about Luis Robert Jr.'s incredible at-bat against Paul Skenes in the first inning 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xFM6QN3KYe

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 26, 2026

The first ABS challenge in Mets history flips an Oneil Cruz walk into a called strike three 👀 pic.twitter.com/JyXcv5hZ3B

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 26, 2026

Luis Robert Jr.'s first hit and RBI as a Met!

He brings home Francisco Lindor with an RBI single! 👏 pic.twitter.com/vblS71J43p

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 26, 2026

First MLB hit ✅
First MLB home run ✅

CARSON BENGE HOMERS ON OPENING DAY! pic.twitter.com/yZOGuC3zWT

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 26, 2026

TIME TO PAY THE TROLL TOLL.

FRANCISCO ALVAREZ TO THE SECOND DECK! pic.twitter.com/sTBWnFvTJ8

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 26, 2026

What's Next?

The Mets are off on Friday and will face the Pirates again on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. on SNY.

David Peterson will take the mound for New York and face Pittsburgh RHP Mitch Keller.

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.

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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Long ball, short ball or ball four, the Mets’ new-look lineup aced the first of at least 162 tests it will face this season.

Whether it was Carson Benge and Francisco Alvarez going deep Thursday or Luis Robert Jr. milking a plate appearance into a walk or using his speed to earn an infield hit, the Mets had an Opening Day to remember, torturing Paul Skenes and the Pirates in an 11-7 victory in front of a Citi Field sellout of 41,449.

Skenes, the reigning National League Cy Young award winner, didn’t even complete the first inning. Two defensive miscues by center fielder Oneil Cruz helped the Mets score five runs in the frame and remove Skenes from the scene after 37 pitches.

“If you want to beat guys like this, you have to play perfect baseball, pretty much,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Not only putting together some really good at-bats, but running the bases, putting the ball in play and the whole way everything unfolded was pretty impressive.”

The Mets, who had lost their previous two openers, improved to 42-23 on Opening Day. The .646 winning percentage is the best among MLB teams in openers.

This was the perfect start for a rebuilt Mets lineup that shed Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil in the offseason.

In his Mets debut, Freddy Peralta lasted five innings, surrendering four earned runs on six hits with seven strikeouts. The right-hander was removed at 80 pitches.

“Amazing,” Peralta said of the atmosphere. “It was something that helped me to get better. I can’t wait to see them the rest of the season.”

Peralta’s first inning in a Mets uniform was one to forget: After Cruz singled leading off, Brandon Lowe hit a shot to right that nestled just over the fence for a two-run homer.

Skenes was removed after facing his ninth batter in the first inning: Alvarez, who got drilled by a pitch. The right-hander retired only two batters.

The rally began with Francisco Lindor’s leadoff walk and Juan Soto’s ensuing single. Bo Bichette hit a sacrifice fly and Jorge Polanco’s swinging bunt put runners on first and second. The key plate appearance of the inning followed as Robert saw 10 pitches and drew a walk to load the bases.

But the real damage wasn’t inflicted until Cruz misplayed Brett Baty’s fly to center into a bases-clearing triple that gave the Mets a 4-2 lead. Cruz started in on the ball and then watched it sail over his head.

“Worst-case scenario, I was hoping it was going to be a sacrifice fly,” Baty said. “Then I saw Cruz kind of come in on it, so then I was like, ‘Let’s keep running.’ ”

Cruz’s misery wasn’t finished. Marcus Semien hit a fly that Cruz lost in the sun, allowing Baty to score the Mets’ fifth run.

“They got on us early and then to turn around and respond in the bottom of the inning was huge,” Baty said.

Lowe’s second homer of the game pulled the Pirates within 5-3 in the third inning. Robert’s athleticism was on display later in the inning as his diving catch in right center robbed Marcell Ozuna of a hit to end the frame.

Robert extended the Mets’ lead to 6-3 with a two-out RBI single in the fourth after Lindor and Soto had walked successively to begin the inning.

The Pirates recovered the run in the fifth on Henry Davis’ RBI double past the diving Bichette. Nick Gonzales’ leadoff single began the rally.

Soto delivered an RBI single in the fifth before Polanco drew a bases-loaded walk to extend the Mets’ lead to 8-4. Robert’s infield squib brought in the inning’s third run for the Mets.

Ryan O’Hearn homered against Tobias Myers in the sixth to slice the Mets’ lead to 9-5. The blast was the third surrendered by the Mets.

Benge, in his MLB debut, delivered his first hit and homer in the bottom of the inning, giving the Mets a 10-5 lead. Benge jumped on a first-pitch sweeper from Justin Lawrence and cleared the fence in right center. The next batter, Alvarez, also homered.

“It’s just one game,” Mendoza said. “But there is a lot to like.”

Opening Day overreactions: Crochet's Cy Young campaign off to good start originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Red Sox passed their first test of the 2026 season as they shut out the Cincinnati Reds on Opening Day, 3-0.

Other than being kept off the scoreboard for the first six innings, the Red Sox looked sharp in every facet of the game. Garrett Crochet pitched a gem, the offense racked up 12 hits, and the bullpen kept Cincinnati scoreless for the final three innings.

As always, Opening Day left us with plenty to overreact to with 161 games left in the regular season. Here are five instant overreactions to Boston’s victory:

Garrett Crochet is ready for another Cy Young bid

The 2025 AL Cy Young runner-up looks poised for another run at the award this season. After a rough spring training, Crochet was in peak form in Cincinnati.

The left-handed ace allowed only three hits and two walks while striking out eight Reds hitters over six innings. His only hiccup in the outing was a sixth-inning bases-loaded jam, which he escaped with back-to-back Ks:

As long as he stays healthy, Crochet should join the likes of Tarik Skubal as a Cy Young finalist once again. His excellent outing is a great sign for a Red Sox rotation that is expected to be among baseball’s best in 2026.

Roman Anthony already looks like a veteran

Anthony wasted no time making his presence felt to start his first full MLB season. The 21-year-old smoked a single up the middle on the first pitch of the day:

Later, Anthony rocketed one at 110 mph right at Reds first baseman Sal Stewart to start the day 3-for-3. Stewart was hurt on the play, but he stayed in the game.

The future superstar’s biggest moment came in the ninth, when he turned a strikeout into a walk by winning an ABS challenge to keep the inning alive. The next batter, Trevor Story, singled to add an insurance run:

Moments like that are what separate Anthony, once the league’s No. 1 prospect, from other talented prospects. He already looks and acts like a 10-year veteran, and that’s part of the reason many have him pegged as an MVP candidate in Year 2.

Lineup against lefties is a problem

Yes, the Red Sox tallied 12 hits, but a handful of them were infield singles, and they failed to score until left-handed starter Andrew Abbott exited the game after the sixth inning. Boston’s top three hitters against southpaws last year — Rob Refsnyder, Romy Gonzalez, Alex Bregman — aren’t on the roster, and it showed for most of the day.

The Red Sox need several players to step up against lefties this year. Wilyer Abreu should get the chance after sitting often against left-handers last year. Jarren Duran has historically struggled against southpaws, and Marcelo Mayer didn’t get to start due to his issues against lefties throughout the minors and in his brief MLB stint last year.

Boston was rightfully criticized for not adding another big right-handed bat to the lineup in the offseason. That could come back to haunt the club down the stretch, and Opening Day may have been the first hint that their issues against lefties still exist.

Marcelo Mayer showed why he belongs

Isiah Kiner-Falefa got the start at second base over Mayer due to the Reds starting a left-hander on the mound. Mayer pinch-hit for IKF in the seventh inning and made the most of his opportunity, drilling a double to deep center field. Ceddanne Rafaela drove him in with an RBI single to break the scoreless tie:

Later, Mayer laced a single to go 2-for-2 on the day. He plated the club’s second run on a Trevor Story single.

Mayer still has plenty of work to do against southpaws, but he can still make a tremendous impact both at the plate and in the field. He’s still capable of living up to expectations as a No. 4 overall draft pick, and any talk of him potentially not making the team out of spring training was silly. He should play an important role on Boston’s quest for a deeper playoff run.

Bullpen could be elite again in 2026

The Red Sox bullpen ranked second in MLB in ERA last season, and even if Aroldis Chapman doesn’t put up video-game numbers this time around, the group could be outstanding again in 2026.

Justin Slaten, Garrett Whitlock, and Chapman combined for three scoreless innings to complete Boston’s shutout victory. Slaten struck out two and walked one in the seventh, Whitlock struck out two and allowed one hit in the eighth, and Chapman pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save of the year.

The middle relief arms still have some question marks, but the back end of the Red Sox bullpen looks like it’ll be one of the team’s biggest strengths again.

LOS ANGELES — Dodgers games will now be available to watch on FuboTV, thanks to a new carriage agreement with SportsNet LA that begins with the start of the 2026 season.

Opening day for the Dodgers is exclusively televised by NBC Sports, with the first SportsNet LA telecast coming Friday with the second game of the series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium. There are some exclusive national telecasts later in the season that haven’t yet been finalized, but SportsNet LA will televise over 140 games this season.

In 2025, SportsNet LA televised 145 games during the regular season, after 146 games in 2024 and 145 in 2023.

FuboTV says in a press release, “At launch, SportsNet LA will be available to subscribers of the FuboTV base plan in the SportsNet LA footprint.”

It appears that the cable pieces of the Braves television distribution are starting to fall into place.

The News always comes down in a navy blue image with white text on it, so this is definitely a big deal. The Atlanta Braves and Xfinity aka Comcast have reached a deal to carry BravesVision, the Braves’ owned and operated network. BravesVision will be available for the customers in Atlanta’s television footprint, which contains Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, and western North Carolina. I’m not familiar enough with Xfinity to know if BravesVision will require an extended tier package. But I don’t think you have many free options on channel 1254, unless it’s an all-audio channel featuring the smooth sounds of the 70s and beyond. Reportedly, the Braves’ insistence on being on a base tier has been a sticking point in negotiations.

Yesterday it was announced that the Braves agreed to terms with Spectrum. There are around ten cable companies in Braves Country, but it appears they’ve agreed with the major ones. I would be surprised if the other cable companies didn’t find a deal this week. You’re covered with Gray TV on Friday, and FOX on Saturday. So Sunday is the first day you’ll need to be covered with BravesVision (or Braves.tv). We’ll keep you informed as the cable picture continues to clear.

Mike Tauchman underwent surgery Thursday morning to repair the meniscus tear in his left knee.

Everything went as planned according to Jon Heyman of the NY Post, and the veteran outfielder is now expected to miss six weeks before working his way back into game action. 

Tauchman was in the mix for a Mets roster spot before going down with the injury late in camp. 

He was putting together a strong showing, spending time in all three outfield positions and racking up a .371 OBP across 13 Grapefruit League games. 

New York will instead lean on Tyrone Taylor and Jared Young as their outfield depth behind Juan Soto, Luis Robert Jr, and Carson Benge for the time being.

They did also make an addition early in the day Thursday, bringing back Tommy Pham on a minor league deal. 

Whether due to injury, poor performance, or the quirks of a 162-game schedule, a team generally needs far more than five starters to make it through a season (11 different pitchers started games for the 2025 Yankees). Each month during the season, we take stock of the Yankees’ options to join the starting rotation through the Rotation Depth Inventory. With Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, and Clarke Schmidt all starting the season on the IL, the team’s depth could be tested early. Let’s take a look at the the team’s top options should they need someone to fill in.

Luis Gil

An argument could be made that Luis Gil is not depth at all. The Yankees will begin the season with a four-man rotation, taking advantage of some early off-days to carry an extra reliever until their 14th game, at which point they will presumably need to add a fifth starter. Gil carries the inside track due to his pedigree, but his role with the Yankees has become increasingly uncertain. After taking home AL Rookie of the Year honors with a breakout 2024 campaign, Gil missed most of 2025 with a lat strain. When he did return, the results were strong (4-1 with a 3.32 ERA in 11 starts) but the team grew concerned with his underlying metrics, as his fastball velo dipped and fastball shape got out of whack, dropping his strikeout rate a full 10 percent.

This spring was a similar story for Gil — decent enough results, unresolved concerns about his ability to miss bats. His last outing was his most encouraging for pitching coach Matt Blake. “We feel good about the adjustment he made going into the last outing,” Blake said. “He got the quality of the fastball back — the velo up, the miss. All of those things are important to see. Now it’s just a matter of what that looks like the first couple of weeks of the season.”

That last piece is key. Despite Gil’s strong positioning to assume the fifth starter role once it opens up, the Yankees will be monitoring how he looks in the interim. If he backslides, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the team could look elsewhere to fill in until Cole and Rodón return.

Elmer Rodríguez

While the fireballing Carlos Lagrange got the headlines this offseason, it’s Elmer Rodríguez who’s actually next up in the pecking order. After he was named by Baseball America as the Yankees’ 2025 Minor League Player of the Year, the team added him to its 40-man roster, protecting him from the Rule 5 Draft and giving him a key leg up in the depth charts. Since he won’t require an existing spot to be vacated, Rodríguez could be easily promoted for a spot start or two and sent back down afterwards.

Acquired from the Red Sox before last season for Carlos Narváez, the right-hander zoomed through the minors, rising from High-A all the way to Triple-A by the end of the year while striking out the second-most batters across the minors. Named the Yankees’ No. 3 prospect before the season by MLB Pipeline, Rodríguez features a fastball that tops out in the high 90s alongside three promising breaking pitches that would give him legitimate options to work with in a big-league rotation.

Rodríguez is slated to start the year with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and, with a hot start, could force his way into the conversation for New York, particularly if the team has to contend with more injuries.

Carlos Lagrange

As mentioned, Carlos Lagrange has quickly become a darling of the New York media, featuring a fastball that’s reached 103 and would make him a unique weapon in a big-league rotation. The eye test is backed up by the experts: MLB Pipeline named him their No. 2 Yankees prospect before the season. In addition to his all-world heater, the right-hander features a slider, a cutter, and a changeup that have promise.

After rising to Double-A last season, Lagrange could likely do with some more seasoning. He’ll start the year at Triple-A, where he’ll have the chance to do exactly that. While not likely to get promoted early, if the 21-year-0ld can back up his stuff with results at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre he should be in play for a role with the Yankees at some point this year, either in the rotation or the bullpen.

Ryan Yarbrough & Paul Blackburn

When it comes to a spot start, a nontraditional strategy is always in play as well. Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn have combined for 162 career starts and, while each is expected to begin the year in the bullpen, they’ve stretched out to pitch multiple innings during spring training and could serve as an opener or bulk reliever, working with other pitchers to piece together a bullpen game. It’s also plausible either could segue into a more traditional starting role if they make several outings in a row of increasing length, which is essentially what the Yankees did with Yarbrough last year.

With Luis Gil waiting in the wings, Carlos Rodón eyeing a return as early as April, and Gerrit Cole hoping to be healthy shortly thereafter, the Yankees will look to bridge the gap to their sidelined All-Stars without having to dip into their depth any further. If they do need to turn elsewhere, they have talented youngsters and experienced veterans who should be able to fill in capably for short stretches but might not be ready to shoulder a starter’s full workload.

It's outta here!

Mets rookie Carson Benge made quite the first impression on Thursday, blasting his first career home run in his MLB debut.

The 23-year-old took Pittsburgh Pirates RHP Justin Lawrence deep in the bottom of the sixth inning on Opening Day, launching a breaking ball over the right-center field wall to push New York's lead to 10-5.

Benge had gone 0-for-2 with a walk and two strikeouts before recording his first hit with the solo home run.

He became just the second Met to hit a home run in their MLB debut on Opening Day, joining Kaz Matsui in 2004. He also joins teammate Brett Baty as players to hit a HR as their first career hit (although, Baty did it in his first AB).

The Citi Field faithful rewarded the right fielder with a curtain call to celebrate the special moment.

Oh, and to add to the excitement, Francisco Alvarez kept Mets fans on their feet by crushing a home run of his own in the next at-bat.

First MLB hit ✅
First MLB home run ✅

CARSON BENGE HOMERS ON OPENING DAY! pic.twitter.com/yZOGuC3zWT

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 26, 2026

An Opening Day curtain call for Carson Benge! pic.twitter.com/FTUGetIO57

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 26, 2026

Carson Benge. HYPE. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/GwfITonATk

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 26, 2026

All the feels for Carson Benge on his first MLB trip around the bases 🥲🥹 pic.twitter.com/9rsCz0ze1r

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 26, 2026

TIME TO PAY THE TROLL TOLL.

FRANCISCO ALVAREZ TO THE SECOND DECK! pic.twitter.com/sTBWnFvTJ8

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 26, 2026

For the first time this year: Go Rays!

It’s finally time to play some baseball games that count. The St. Louis Cardinals kick off the 2026 season at Busch Stadium as the Tampa Bay Rays come to town. According to MLB.com, Matthew Liberatore will start the game for the Cardinals while the Rays will send Drew Rasmussen to the mound. This will also be the major league debut for Cardinals phenom (or at least we hope) JJ Wetherholt.

Detroit Tigers vs. San Diego Padres

Time/Place: 4:10 p.m., Petco Park
SB Nation Site: Gaslamp Ball
Media: Detroit Sportsnet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: LHP Tarik Skubal (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Nick Pivetta (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

* Note: Stats in the table below are Fangraphs’ 2026 projections for both players

Welcome back to baseball that matters! It truly is the first day of spring when you can toss the red exhibition jerseys aside and play baseball for real. It’s Garrett Crochet ready to knit it up on the mound against an old friend in Tito and the Reds. Let’s play ball!

⚾️ First Pitch: 4:10pm ET — Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati, OH

📺 TV: NESN

📻 Radio: WEEI