TOMORROW, TOMORROW: The Mets are set to open their 62nd season when they take on the Marlins tomorrow in Miami...In the history of Major League Baseball, the Mets (40-21, .656) have the best winning percentage on Opening Day...Research courtesy of Elias.
OPENING DAY: After losing their first eight Opening Day contests, the Mets have won 40 of their last 53 Opening Day games (.755)...New York took nine straight openers from 1975-1983 to tie a major league record...The Mets have won 13 of their last 17 openers, including five of the last six.
WAY, AWAY FROM HERE: The Mets are 17-12 when starting the season on the road..Dating back to 2001, New York has won eight of its last 12 games when beginning the year on the road...This is the third straight year the Mets have opened the season on the road.
LET'S GO FISHING: The Mets are opening the season in Miami for the first time since 2011...The Mets fell to the then Florida Marlins, 6-2, at Sun Life Stadium...This marks the fourth time that the Marlins and Mets will face each other on Opening Day..The Mets are 2-2 against the Fish on the first day of the season...The two teams played each other also in 2010, 2008 and 1999.
MAX OPENING: Scherzer will toe the rubber for his first Opening Day start with the Mets and the seventh of his career...He started the opener in six of his seven seasons with Washington (2015-2016, 2018-2021) posting a record of 1-3 with a 2.72 ERA (12 ER/39.2 IP)...Scherzer twice started Opening Day against the Mets, opposing Bartolo Colon in 2015 and Jacob deGrom in 2019...He will be the first pitcher to start both for and against the Mets on Opening Day in his career...Elias notes that Madison Bumgarner (Arizona) is the only other active pitcher who has started a season opener for and against the same club.
MORE MAX: In his age-37 season, Scherzer posted a 2.29 ERA with 173 strikeouts...Since the earned run became an official statistic in 1913, only three pitchers have posted an ERA that low with as many strikeouts at age 37 or older: Roger Clemens (1.87 ERA, 185 strikeouts at age 42 for the 2005 Astros) and Hall of Famer Dazzy Vance (2.09 ERA, 200 strikeouts at age 37 for the 1928 Brooklyn Dodgers)...Justin Verlander (1.75 ERA, 185 strikeouts at age 39) also accomplished this feat in 2022.
THE CY YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS: The Mets have faced the defending Cy Young Award winner on Opening Day twice before...Both instances involved Tom Seaver and Steve Carlton...The first time occurred on April 6, 1973 vs. Philadelphia and the second on April 5, 1983 vs. Philadelphia.
STARTING OFF WITH A BANG: The Mets have only had one player to record a leadoff home run on Opening Day...Kaz Matsui began the first game of the 2004 season with a home run off Russ Ortiz on April 6 in Atlanta.
GRAND SLAMS: Collin Cowgill and Todd Hundley are the only two Mets to hit a grand slam on Opening Day...Cowgill went deep on April 1, 2013 off San Diego's Brad Brach..Hundley's slam came on April 26, 1995 at Colorado off Billy Swift.
TWO HOME RUNS: Robin Ventura, Bobby Bonilla, Cleon Jones, Darryl Strawberry and Kevin McReynolds are the only five players in club history to hit two home runs in an Opening Day tilt...Ventura was the last to accomplish the feat on April 3, 2001 at Atlanta.
EXTRA, EXTRA ON OPENING DAY: The Mets have played seven extra-inning games on Opening Day..They are 5-2 in those contests...The last extra-inning affair was in 2014, a 9-7 loss to the Nationals...The last Mets Opening Day win in extras was a 6-4, 10-inning victory on April 3, 2001 at Atlanta.
A SHOW ABOUT NOTHING: The Mets have recorded 10 shutouts on Opening Day...Before 2021, the Mets won back-to-back Opening Days via shutout, a 2-0 win at Washington in 2019 and a 1-0 win against the Atlanta Braves in 2020...The Mets have been shut out only once (7-0, April 9, 1963 vs. St. Louis) on Opening Day...Research courtesy of Elias.
QUICK CHANGE: Tim Locastro has changed to uniform #26.
THE BUCK STARTS HERE: Buck Showalter owns a 1,652-1,578 (.511) career record as a manager...His 1,652 wins place him 19th all-time in major league history...Showalter has now managed four teams to the Postseason...He is the fourth manager to accomplish that feat in major league history, joining Dusty Baker (five teams) and Billy Martin and Davey Johnson (four teams)...Showalter is the first manager in Mets history to record 100 victories in his first season with the club...He also joins Yogi Berra as the only managers to guide the Mets and Yankees into the playoffs.
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