New York Mets: Offseason additions play major role in Opening Day win

In typical New York Mets fashion, they won on Opening Day. However, the real story is how they won. The offseason acquisitions played a major role in the win.

The New York Mets defeated the Washington Nationals in Nationals Park to win the first of 162 games this afternoon. I am sure you either watched the game or already know the results. We were lucky to be watching baseball on such a glorious, sunny and warm afternoon. However, no one is luckier than Brodie Van Wagenen on this day.

That is because most of the new faces the Mets’ young GM brought in played a major role in the win. While the game was highlighted by the expected pitching war between Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer. Both of them had over 10 strikeouts, went deep into the game, and did exactly what we all would have expected.

However, the Mets still needed that little bit of an offensive spark in order for any of that to matter. They got that from all of the new faces they brought in. Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, and Juan Lagares all went hitless on the afternoon. But, it was Wilson Ramos, Pete Alonso, and Robinson Cano (2 hits) that carried the offense.

https://twitter.com/Mets/status/1111358957761761288

A late single by Amed Rosario spoiled the newcomer party, but he was promptly caught stealing to keep the narrative alive.

Cano homered in his first at-bat then had another RBI hit later to cushion the small lead. However, just a small cushion would be solid enough because more new Mets players did their jobs out of the pen.

Seth Lugo mowed them down in the seventh, so he was the best Mets veteran on the day not named Jacob deGrom. But, it was a near 1-2-3 inning in the 8th from Jeurys Familia (technically a newcomer) and then a 1-2-3 inning by Edwin Diaz to close it out that secured the Mets’ win.

Who am I forgetting? Oh, yeah, it was also Keon Broxton, another man who Brodie Van Wagenen traded for that helped the Mets late. He came in to pinch run for Alonso and then would play a massive role in the win catching some outs in the field as defensive insurance, helping Diaz get the save.

It is not very often that I watch a Mets baseball game (or any game for that matter) and come to this platform to talk about it and recap it. But I just that Opening Day was too perfect to shy away from.

Everything that you want the Mets to be for the entire season, they were today. I don’t know if that will ever happen again. Jacob deGrom put the team on his back and out-pitched the only pitcher who people think give him competition for the best, and every new player who brought in for the sole purpose of being better than what they previously had, stepped up and helped them get a win.

Opening Day is usually a Cinderella story for the Mets. Things almost always go according to plan and they had nearly the perfect win on this day. Now, it just becomes a matter of doing over the next 161. Much, much easier said than done.