New Mets Come Up Big in Opener

We all mocked Sandy Alderson’s multitude of minor league signings and his other dubious player acquisitions this off season. Well, several of the newest Mets came through in the Opening Day win against the Padres. So at least for one day, Alderson is the greatest general manager in Mets history.

Collin Cowgill, acquired in a trade with the A’s, was two-for-five with a grand slam in the seventh inning that put the game away. He also looked like he knew what he was doing in center field, showing range that should make up for Lucas Duda’s lack of ability in that department.

Marlon Byrd, signed to a minor league deal, was also two-for-five, with two big RBIs. He didn’t look particularly comfortable out in right field, but if he can hit, no one will care about his defense.

John Buck, an expensive throw-in in the R.A. Dickey trade, had two hits and an RBI and called a solid game.

The Great Scotts, Atchison and Rice, each threw perfect innings in relief. For Scott Rice, it was his major league debut after 14 seasons in the minor leagues. He struck out two batters. Brandon Lyon retired the only batter he faced.

It really was a perfect opening day. The new Mets performed well, and the holdovers — David Wright, Daniel Murphy, Ruben Tejada and Jontathon Niese — also played well. The only negative was Ike Davis striking out four times, but we won’t spoil the day by mentioning that.