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Mets Offense Explodes as Pirates' Skenes Knocked Out in First Inning

 METS 11 - PIRATES 7 

This was the kind of debut Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns had to be dreaming about when he put Mets fans through the ringer this off-season. After an off-season purge of past stars was followed by a late January surge in trades and signings, the Mets opened the 2026 season on fire! 

New York pounded NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes, knocking the righty out of the first inning of the season opener at Citi Field, and kept pounding the Pittsburgh Pirates for 11 runs in an 11-7 victory. 

While Brett Baty's three-run triple on a ball that sailed over the head of center fielder O'Neil Cruz, cleared the bases to give the Mets a 4-2 lead, the afternoon really belonged to a number of new members of the Mets, namely rookie Carson Benge. 


Benge, who made the roster out of Spring Training after only one full season in the minors, had his signature moment when he launched his first major league home run into the bullpens in right-center field in the sixth inning. Benge  jumped into the air and pumped his fist before coming back down to earth to touch first base and round the bases. 

When Benge arrived at the Mets dugout, his teammates didn't even have a chance to prank him with the silent treatment because he ran around the bases so fast.

"I kind of blacked out running around the bases. I don't really remember too much," Benge said. "I know I got it good off the bat."

Benge wasn't alone in the theatrics of it all on Thursday. 

A team chuck full of new faces, the "new" Mets gave the Citi Field faithful a good first impression. 

Luis Robert Jr. a seemingly controversial acquisition by Stearns in January was mighty impressive in his Mets debut. Robert showed great range in the outfield, and was 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored, and a walk. 


 

Meanwhile, new second baseman Marcus Siemen was 2-for-5 with an RBI; Jorge Polanco was 1-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI on a bases loaded walk. Polanco was also perfect in the field in his first game ever playing first base.  Lastly Bo Bichette drove in a run on a sacrifice. 

Even a couple familiar faces got involved in the fun as Francisco Alvarez corked a solo homer to cap off the scoring in the sixth, and Juan Soto worked out a pair of hits in four at bats. 

Meanwhile, the newest pitching additions for the Mets did fairly well.  Former Milwaukee Brewers ace Freddy Peralta was good enough in his Mets debut. While he didnt' have his best stuff, he worked through five innings against a tough Pittsburgh lineup, allowing four runs on six hits with no walks and seven strikeouts. He did surrender a pair of home runs to Brandon Lowe. 

Peralta's fellow former Brewers teammate Tobias Myers was fantastic in relief allowing only a solo shot over three innings of relief to settle things down. 

The Mets and Pirates continue their series on Saturday. Meanwhile check out our Mets Preview show below! 


 

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