Mets Daily, March 28, 2026
The Mets opened 2026 the right way, with a loud 11-7 win over Pittsburgh on Opening Day, and they head into today’s second game at 1-0. Syracuse also opened with a win, while the rest of the full-season affiliates are still waiting for their season openers next week.
Quick Hitters
- The big story is simple: the Mets’ new-look offense came out swinging and grinding. They beat Paul Skenes up early, drew nine walks, and forced the Pirates to burn through 152 pitches in the first five innings.
- Carson Benge homered for his first career hit, Francisco Alvarez also went deep and reached base three times, Francisco Lindor scored three runs, and Luis Robert Jr. drove in two. That is one hell of a first impression for an offense that spent the winter trying to stop being merely “pretty good.”
- Triple-A Syracuse started its season with a 3-1 win over Worcester. Jonah Tong punched out four in four scoreless innings, Jose Rojas homered, and Nick Morabito chipped in an RBI single.
- The rest of the Mets’ full-season affiliates are not asleep at the wheel. Their seasons just haven’t started yet. Brooklyn opens April 3, Binghamton opens April 3 on the road and April 7 at home, and St. Lucie opens April 7.
Mets Box Score (Last Game)
Opening Day • March 26, 2026 • Citi Field
New York Mets 11, Pittsburgh Pirates 7
| Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
R |
H |
E |
| Pirates |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
7 |
10 |
1 |
| Mets |
5 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
11 |
11 |
0 |
Top Mets Hitters
Francisco Alvarez – HR, reached base 3 times
Carson Benge – first MLB hit was a HR
Francisco Lindor – 3 runs scored
Luis Robert Jr. – 2 RBI
Top Mets Pitching
Freddy Peralta – Win (1-0), 5.0 IP, 7 K, 4 ER
Mets pitching bent a few times, but the offense made it survivable.
Key Moments
Mets hung 5 runs in the 1st.
They drew 9 walks.
Pirates pitchers threw 152 pitches in the first 5 innings.
RMF Takeaway
The offense looked deeper, tougher, and way more professional. If this lineup keeps forcing ugly innings like this, the Mets are going to be a pain in the ass for every staff in the league.
Today’s Mest vs Pirates Matchup
Today’s Pitching Matchup
Pirates at Mets • Citi Field • 4:10 PM ET
Mets Starter
David Peterson, LHP
2025 line: 9-6, 4.22 ERA, 168.2 IP, 150 K
Statcast: .311 wOBA allowed, .331 xwOBA allowed
Contact allowed: 90.6 mph avg EV, 46.0% hard-hit rate, 6.4% barrel rate
Vs lefties in 2025: 34 H, 1 HR, 6 BB, 48 K
Pirates Starter
Mitch Keller, RHP
2025 line: 6-15, 4.19 ERA, 176.1 IP, 150 K
Statcast: .313 wOBA allowed, .326 xwOBA allowed
Contact allowed: 90.1 mph avg EV, 43.8% hard-hit rate, 7.8% barrel rate
Vs lefties in 2025: 92 H, 13 HR, 33 BB, 69 K
How Peterson Matches Up vs Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh’s likely danger zone is its right-handed damage bats, but Peterson has historically been nasty on same-side hitters and has done his best cleanup work when he keeps lefties from getting comfortable. That matters against a Pirates group that leans lefty near the top with Oneil Cruz, Brandon Lowe, and Ryan O’Hearn.
Key BvP notes:
Bryan Reynolds: 3-for-13 (.231) vs Peterson
Marcell Ozuna: 4-for-22 (.182), 2 HR vs Peterson
Ryan O’Hearn: 0-for-1 vs Peterson
How Keller Matches Up vs New York
Keller’s bigger problem profile is left-handed damage. That is where this Mets lineup can be annoying as hell, especially with Juan Soto and Brett Baty in the mix. If Keller misses arm-side and leaves the four-seam or cutter in the wrong lane, the Mets have real pull-side thunder waiting for him.
Key BvP notes:
Juan Soto: 5-for-12 (.417), 1 HR, 1.283 OPS vs Keller
Brett Baty: 3-for-7 (.429), 1 HR, 1.500 OPS vs Keller
Francisco Lindor: 2-for-16 (.125), 5 BB vs Keller
Projected Pressure Points
| Side |
What matters most |
Edge |
| Mets offense vs Keller |
Left-handed bats can do real damage. Keller allowed 13 HR to lefties in 2025. |
Mets |
| Pirates offense vs Peterson |
Peterson crushes lefty matchups, so Pittsburgh’s left-handed top half may lose some bite. |
Mets |
| Quality of contact |
Neither starter was elite by Statcast contact suppression last year, so this game could tilt on sequencing and traffic. |
Even |
RMF Read on Peterson
Peterson does not need to be perfect today. He needs to keep the lefties from ambushing him early and make Pittsburgh’s right-handed bats earn everything. If Ozuna is quiet, the Mets are in business.
RMF Read on Keller
The blueprint is obvious. Make Keller work, lean on the left-handed thunder, and force him into stress innings. Soto is the headliner, but Baty feels like one of those sneaky pain-in-the-ass matchup bats here.
The Biggest Mets Takeaway
Opening Day did not just feel like a win. It felt like a statement.
Last year’s Mets offense was good, but not exactly the kind of lineup that made opposing staffs question their life choices. On Thursday, the 2026 version looked deeper, meaner, and more annoying to pitch against. That matters. A lot. An offense that can score 11 while the pitching is still settling in gives this team real margin for error, and over six months that is the difference between “in the race” and “go win the damn division.”
What Actually Changed
The Mets did not win because of one lucky inning and a cheap bloop parade. They won because the lineup kept stacking plate appearances, taking walks, forcing mistakes, and refusing to let the Pirates breathe. Against Skenes, that’s not a small thing. That’s a sledgehammer.
Freddy Peralta was good enough over five innings, but the bigger headline was that the offense made it possible for “good enough” to be enough. That is what good teams do. They cover for each other instead of waiting around for the ace to throw a complete-game masterpiece like it’s 1988 and Keith Hernandez is about to light up a heater in the tunnel.
NL East Quick Hitters
The NL East is already doing what the NL East does, making sure nobody gets to relax for five minutes. Atlanta, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington all sit at 1-0 entering Saturday. So yes, technically everyone is tied, which is baseball’s version of saying, “Cool, now do it again.”
For the Mets, the takeaway is simple: nice start, means nothing by itself. Bank wins early anyway. The division is not giving out sympathy points.
What’s Next
The Mets and Pirates are back at Citi Field today, Saturday, March 28. ESPN lists the matchup as Mitch Keller vs. David Peterson, with first pitch at 4:10 p.m. Eastern. MLB’s published season-opening rotation also lists Peterson as the Mets’ starter for March 28 and Nolan McLean for March 29.
Around the Minors
Around The Minors
Mets affiliates snapshot
Triple-A Syracuse Mets
Syracuse 3, Worcester 1
| Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
R |
H |
E |
| Syracuse |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
7 |
1 |
| Worcester |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
1 |
Notable: Jonah Tong opened his season with four strikeouts over four scoreless innings. Jose Rojas homered, and Nick Morabito added an RBI single.
Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies
Season has not opened yet.
Opening Day: April 3, 2026
High-A Brooklyn Cyclones
Season has not opened yet.
Opening Day: April 3, 2026
Single-A St. Lucie Mets
Season has not opened yet.
Opening Day: April 7, 2026
Why this matters for Mets fans
A clean 1-0 start is nice. A clean 1-0 start with a lineup that already looks deeper and a Triple-A club already producing useful noise is better. The big club showed punch, patience, and depth. Syracuse immediately gave fans a reminder that the pipeline is still very much alive. That’s how contenders are supposed to look in late March
