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| Shea Stadium on Opening Day 2006 Photo Courtesy of Centerfieldmaz |
At long last, Opening Day is now just 48 hours away. No team has a better record that the Mets on Opening Day, coming into 2026 with a record of 41-23, good enough for a winning percentage of .641. Yes, the Mets do an excellent job at making a first impression, it's the rest of the 161 games you have to worry about.
I've been watching the Mets since 2000, so you'll have to forgive me for not including Opening Day moments pre-21st century, such as Gary Carter's walk-off home run against the Cardinals in 1985. Here are my personal top-five favorite Met Opening Day's.
2004: First Pitch Fireworks from Kaz Matsui in Atlanta
This game sticks out to me for one reason only. Kazou Matsui. The Mets began the 2004 season in the home of their arch rival, Turner Field against the Atlanta Braves. It was the debut of what the Mets hoped to be a successful career of Japanese infield import, Kazuo Matsui.
Matsui got off to a fast start, belting the first pitch of the season and first of his career into the center field seats for a home run. That was the start of a perfect 3-for-3 day for Matsui who also collected three RBIs in the Mets 7-2 win over the Braves. Ex-Brave Tom Glavine picked up the win, going six solid innings allowing just two runs, and Mike Piazza added on with a home run of his own.
Alas, this was one of the lone highlights in that 2004 season, as Art Howe's second and final season in orange and blue ended with a record of 71-91.
2006: Mets Start Magical Season With a Thriller Over Washington
There was a buzz in the air at Shea even before the first pitch of that 2006 season was thrown. After years of rebuilding and signing top free agents, the Mets finally seemed to have a team ready to compete with the rest of the NL East. The season began on a cool and cloudy day against the Nationals. Once again, Tom Glavine pitched a gem, going six innings and allowing just one run.
New additions Paul Lo Duca and Xavier Nady both drove in runs and David Wright hit his first of 26 home runs as the Mets entered the ninth inning with a 3-2 lead. New closer, Billy Wagner made quick work of the first two Washington batters, but Jose Vidro was able lace a hit into center field and make himself the tying run on base. Only problem, he never gave the next batter the chance to drive him in.
Vidro decided to test the arm of Met Center Fielder, Carlos Beltran. Beltran threw a perfect strike to second base to nab Vidro trying to stretch a single into a double the the Mets had a dramatic win on Opening Day. The first of many memorable moments at Shea that season, as the Mets would win 97 games in 2006, and win their first NL East title in 18 years.
2012: Mets shutout the Braves Behind Johan Santana and David Wright
There wasn't much to celebrate in the Mets first few years at Citi Field, but Opening Day 2012 had just about everything go right for the Mets. Johan Santana was back from injury and the Opening Day starter. He wouldn't disappoint shutting out the Braves through five innings allowing just two hits while striking out five.
The game stayed scoreless into the sixth inning, when after the Mets got the first two men on base, David Wright drove in Andres Torres to gave the Mets a 1-0 lead. That was all the Met bullpen would need as the Mets hung a goose egg on the Braves 1-0.
The Mets would go on to sweep the Braves and start 2012 at 4-0. The season would win up being David Wright's last full one in Queens before injuries ravaged his next few years on the Mets. Two months later, Johan Santana would throw another shutout, that was of course the Mets first no-hitter. 2012 is a forgettable year for most Met fans, but for one day in April, everything went perfectly.
2013: Mets Pummel Padres with Unlikely Power Surge
The 2013 Mets went into that season with probably the lowest of expectations. Their Opening Day starter was Jon Niese, who actually did well, turning in six and two thirds innings of two run ball with four strikeouts. Journeymen players John Buck and Marlon Byrd were starters, who each had two-hit games. Part of the Mets' 13-hit barrage where they beat San Diego 11-2.
The leadoff hitter in that game? Little known outfielder, Collin Cowgill. He put the finishing touches on the Mets' blowout win with a seventh inning grand slam. He was the first Met to hit a grand slam in his team debut, and the first Met to hit an Opening Day grand slam, since Todd Hundley did it in 1995.
2015: Mets Put up a Statement Win in the Nation's Capital
By 2015, the Mets finally had a team that was realistically ready to compete for a playoff spot. After years of being in the doldrums, the Mets seemed to have a squad that would challenge the Nats for the NL East title.
What better way to prove that than by beating the Nats in DC? That's precisely what the Mets would do. It wasn't young aces Matt Harvey, or reigning ROY Jacob deGrom who started for the Mets that afternoon. Bartolo Colon, the 42-year-old fan favorite held the defending NL East champs to just one run over six innings while striking out eight as he out-dueled Max Scherzer.
The offense came from a two-run Lucas Duda single in the sixth and a Travis d'Arnaud RBI-triple in the seventh as the Mets silenced the DC crowd with a 3-1 victory. A sign of things to come as the Mets went 11-8 against their NL East rivals and ultimately took the NL East flag away from them. Winning their first division title in nearly a decade.
3 comments:
That 2015 team was very flawed until Cespedes and others turned baseball’s least potent offense thru late July into its most potent thereafter.
Bring on Opening Day!
My OD memories are from a very different era. 77-79 was a very difficult time. Seaver’s last OD start, Koosman’s last OD start & a lot of Craig Swan - who was pretty good.
Milner, Kranepool, Kingman, Youngblood, freaking Doug Flynn, Lenny Randal, etc, etc…
$3.50 upper deck tix & 11k attendance, & winding up in the first row by 1B chatting with Milner or Kranepool.
Brutal times but great memories. Skipping HS for OD was a tradition.
I think my first upper deck tickets were $1.30, but we also got into several Shea games free by redeeming Borden’s milk coupons. My first game I went to was old Yankee Stadium, around 1962.
90cents each for first base box seats behind obstructing beams - Dad slipped the usher a few bucks and we were allowed to move down - the three of us were 10 rows back, at a total cost of under $5.
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