Opening Day brings new hope to all of the MLB’s 30 teams, but the New York Mets have had some interesting experiences at the season’s dawn.
The New York Mets‘ Opening Day lineup has been released, the 25-man roster set and the starting rotation put in order — just like the franchise has done before every major league season since 1962.But over the course of that time, as many fans will likely remember, the Mets have had some rather unique occurrences happen on the New Year’s Day of baseball.
Elite Sports NY has gathered together some of the most interesting statistics that the team in Queens has accumulated on the glorious day that we find ourselves ecstatic to be seeing today.
First and foremost, the Mets have the best Opening Day winning rate in the major leagues at a .636 percentage.
That number comes despite the franchise opening their existence with eight straight Opening Day losses, the longest such losing streak in team history.
On the contrary, from 1975 to 1983, the Metsies won every Opening Day game, a franchise record streak of nine victories.
A lifelong Met, David Wright, holds the franchise record for most consecutive Opening Day starts at 12 at the hot corner.
The veteran’s incredible run will end today, as a shoulder impingement has the righty beginning the year on the disabled list. Jose Reyes is taking over his position and batting leadoff in the season opener against Julio Teheran and the Atlanta Braves.
Hall of Famer and Mets ace Tom Seaver started the most games in Queens on Openings Days with 11 starts to his name.
The Mets went 8-3 in those starts, adding even more to the luster that forced his bust in Cooperstown to showcase a Mets uniform.
The first home Opening Day Mets game was on April 9, 1963, the team’s second year of membership in the majors.
It was played at the famous Polo Grounds against the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Mets fell by a score of 7-0.
The Cards’ lineup featured the likes of legendary slugger Stan Musial, and righty pitcher Ernie Broglio threw a complete game shutout against the Metropolitans on that fateful day.
There have been 13 shutouts in Mets Opening Day history, with the team possessing a record of 10-3 in those games — a trademark of the franchise’s strong pitching past.
The Mets are also 10-6 in 16 one-run games throughout their 55-year Opening Day history.
Outfielder Michael Conforto is the only Mets player ever to start an Opening Day game as the team’s designated hitter, a feat which he accomplished last season against the Kansas City Royals on April 3, 2016.
Conforto went 2-for-2 with a double and two walks in that game, while also managing to get caught stealing by Salvador Perez.
The phenomenon of an NL team starting a season with a DH is fairly new, as the two leagues that populate the MLB have only been evened out since 2013.
