Mets baseball is BACK, BABY!!
Today, the New York Mets took on the Houston Astros in their first game of the spring, giving us our first look at what should be an incredibly exciting and potent offense in 2025:
Francisco Lindor, SS
Juan Soto, RF
Pete Alonso, 1B
Jeff McNeil, 2B
Luis Torrens, DH
Brett Baty, 3B
José Azocar, CF
Rafael Ortega, LF
Lindor, Soto, Alonso: a trio that will hopefully help usher in a new era of Mets baseball that could potentially shape the franchise for decades to come.
This game got off to an electric start almost immediately. In his very first plate appearance as a New York Met, Juan Soto hammered a 2-1 fastball to left-center off Houston starter Colton Gordon, kicking off his Mets tenure in storybook fashion.
Pete Alonso followed Soto’s slam with some excitement of his own, initiating the Mets’ first-ever ABS pitch challenge on a called third strike. He won the challenge, and worked a walk from his new 1-2 count, parking himself at first base instead of on the bench.
Soto’s afternoon didn’t stop with his home run. In his next plate appearance, Soto grounded into what should have been a double play, but managed to leg out the infield dribbler and secure first base on the fielder’s choice. He then stole second without a throw.
The rest of the Mets’ presumed Opening Day starters looked ready to kick their seasons off as well, with Lindor and Alvarez supplying RBIs of their own to complement two from Soto. The lineup showed its rally potential early as well, with Lindor and Alvarez’s RBIs part of a three-run barrage in the second. The Mets also got a lift from some of their more under-the-radar signings, including a three-hit day from infielder Yonny Hernández.
And it wasn’t just the offense that looked great. Clay Holmes also looked fantastic in his debut as a starter, pitching three perfect innings with 3 K’s to boot. He touched 96-97 mph on his fastball, which exploded out of his hand, and painted the corners with his breaking stuff, both in the bottom and top of the zone.
Holmes, a career reliever who started his career in Pittsburgh before spending the last 3 1/2 seasons across town with the Yankees, signed a 3 yr, $38M contract with the Mets this offseason, securing him through 2026 with a player option for 2027. Primarily a two-pitch pitcher, Holmes dedicated the winter to adding more versatility to his arsenal. One of those new weapons is his “kick change”, a nasty pitch that’s already started to show its potential for devastation:
The rest of the bullpen looked just as dialed in as Holmes, with Mets pitchers delivering a total of 10 K’s against just 4 hits and two runs in 9 innings of work. The Mets’ stash of pitching, often cited as a weakness, proved more than capable today, a continued testament to the excellence we’ve come to expect from Jeremy Hefner and the pitching lab.
FINAL BOX SCORE
METS 6, Astros 2
BATTING
2B - Celestino (1, Weiman).
HR - Soto, J (1, 1st inning off Gordon, 0 on, 1 out).
TB - Alvarez, F; Azocar; Baty; Celestino 2; Hernández, Y; Ramírez, A; Senger; Soto, J 4; Torrens 2.
RBI - Alvarez, F (1); Celestino (1); Hernández, Y (1); Lindor (1); Soto, J 2 (2).
PITCHING
Holmes, C. - 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 R, 3 K
Young, D. - 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 R, 1 K
Warren, A. - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 0 R, 1 K
Hagenman, J. - 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Garcia, Ri. - 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
McLoughlin, T. - 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Up Next
The action continues tomorrow at 1:05p EST/10:05a PST against the upstart Washington Nationals. Washington’s lineup features a litany of exciting young players, from the slugging James Wood to the speedy and skilled Dylan Crews. You’ll be able to catch it on MASN, and SNY, as usual.
The NL East should be a ton of fun this year — I cannot wait to watch.