Reflections on Opening Day

As they so often do, the Mets emerged victorious on Opening Day. It’s only one game, but there are plenty of takeaways we can, well, take away from it.

— Noah Syndergaard is back. Although he gave up four runs in six innings (for an ERA of 6.00), he did strike out 10 batters and did not walk anyone. Remember, Syndergaard basically missed all of last season, so there is probably a little bit of rust on him. He will shake it off quickly.

— Robert Gsellman struck out the side in his one inning of relief work. And he appears to like his new role. “You should see him come off the field. He was so pumped up and fired up,” said Mickey Callaway. “It was like he just closed the game out. He’s really embracing this position. He’s going to be a really good reliever.”

— The offense was firing on all cylinders (helped by nine walks by Cardinal pitchers). Almost everyone contributed, but it was nice to see Adrian Gonzalez hitting well. He was 2-3 with a run, RBI and two walks, after a poor spring. If he can hit like he used to, it would be an incredible addition to an already potent lineup.

— Yoenis Cespedes had two hits and three RBIs. Obviously he is the most important cog in the lineup. It’s good to see him getting going early.

— Amed Rosario had two hits and two RBIs, including the key hit of the game — a two-out, two-run single to extend the Mets lead to 6-3. The Mets would go on to score two runs and essentially put the game out of reach. Rosario needs to establish himself as a reliable hitter, and he took a big step today.

So all in all, a successful Opening Day. Somewhere Rusty Staub is smiling, raising a glass of wine to the beginning of this 2018 season.