Mets Beat Pirates 11-7 on Opening Day Powered By Benge and Alvarez Homers and Knock Paul Skenes Out of First

 

Mets DH Brett Baty (Photo Credits to Brad Penner-Imagn Images)

The New York Mets beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-7 this afternoon at Citi Field on Opening Day and improved their record to 1-0.

The Mets offense got off to a fast start in the bottom of the first against Pirates ace RHP Paul Skenes after SS Francisco Lindor led off with a walk and and then LF Juan Soto followed with a single to advance Lindor to third.

3B Bo Bichette then drove in Lindor with a sacrifice fly and 1B Jorge Polanco followed with an infield hit.

CF Luis Robert Jr followed with a walk to load the bases and then DH Brett Baty delivered with a bases clearing triple. 2B Marcus Semian followed with a RBI double.

The offense was held scoreless for the first next two innings until the bottom of the fourth after Lindor led off with a walk and Soto followed with a walk. Three batters later, CF Luis Robert Jr drove in Lindor with a RBI single.

In the bottom of the fifth, LF Carson Benge walked with one out and then catcher Francisco Alvarez followed with a single. Lindor followed with a single to load the bases and Soto drove in Benge with a RBI single.

Two batters later, Polanco drove in Alvarez with a based loaded walk and then Robert Jr reached on an infield hit to score Lindor.

In the bottom of the sixth, Benge hit a solo homer for his first career homer and then Alvarez followed with a homer for back-to-back homers.

RHP Freddy Peralta got off to a tough start in his Met debut in the top of the first after he gave up a two-run homer to  2B Brandon Lowe. 

Perelta had a scoreless top of the second and then gave up a solo homer to Lowe in the top of the third.  Peralta had a scoreless top of the fourth and gave up a RBI double to catcher Henry Davis in the top of the fifth and then Peralta was taken out after the inning.

Peralta's final line was 5 innings,  six hits, four runs, 0 walks and seven strikeouts. He picked up his first win.

RHP Tobias Myers made his Met debut in the top of the sixth and gave up a RF Ryan O'Hearn.

Myers stayed in the game and threw two scoreless innings in the top of the seventh and eighth.

Myers's final line was three innings, one hit, one run, 0 walks and one strikeout.

RHP Rico Garcia came on in the top of the ninth and gave up a two-run double to 3B Nick Gonzales, but was able to pick up the last three outs to close out the game.

The Mets are off tomorrow and return back to action on Saturday, March 28 at home against the Pirates at 4:10 p.m.