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Mets start a new era with a win, and some hope
NEW YORK — An hour before his first game as the New York Mets’ manager on Thursday, Mickey Callaway wandered around the dugout. He signed autographs for fans, posed for photos with his parents, readied his lineup card of game information.
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Four hours later, the Mets and Callaway had their first win, a 9-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on opening day. A disappointing 2017 season of losses and injuries led to an offseason of change, starting with the hiring of Callaway.
As they hope to move further from the wreckage of last year, the Mets will have much to contend with. A rookie manager with a new style and coaching staff. An older roster. A poor recent history of injuries. A National League wild-card race expected to feature several contenders.
“You get a blank canvas every year,” said Jay Bruce, the Mets right fielder, standing in the clubhouse. “There’s a lot of optimism and a lot of hope. As far as this room goes, there’s a ton of talent.”
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To address their weaknesses ahead of the season, the Mets revamped their medical staff and spent nearly $89 million on free agents. They brought in the pitching coach of the Cleveland Indians, 42-year-old Callaway, nearly three decades younger than his predecessor, Terry Collins.
All of this change, coupled with the vibe surrounding the team during spring training, led the Mets’ left fielder Yoenis Cespedes, now healthy, to issue a declaration the day before the season began.
“For me, this team is way better than we had in 2015, and we went to the World Series,” he said.
At least for one day, the Mets’ blueprint was successful. The starting pitching was strong behind Noah Syndergaard, who fired six stout innings, allowing four runs and striking out 10. The only other Mets starter to notch at least that many strikeouts on opening day: Pedro Martinez, in 2005.
The Mets’ modified lineup collected 12 hits and wore down the Cardinals’ starter Carlos Martinez over 4 1/3 innings. The new bullpen — Robert Gsellman, newcomer Anthony Swarzak, and Jeurys Familia — tossed three scoreless frames.
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“This is a new year,” said Familia, who missed 3 1/2 months with blood clot surgery.
Opening day offered a small measure of redemption for some players, perhaps none more so than Syndergaard. Of all the Mets’ injuries in 2017, his torn latissimus that led to a 4 1/2-month absence arguably undermined their season the most. He returned in the final week of the season for two truncated appearances.
So when Syndergaard climbed the mound Thursday, it was his first normal start in nearly a year. It had been so long that, he recently noted, he had forgotten what it felt like to pitch at a Citi Field packed with fans.
“It was a great feeling getting out there, and didn’t really feel like I missed any time,” he said after Thursday’s game.
On offense, Callaway’s new strategies netted an early result: Cespedes and shortstop Amed Rosario thrived in their new spots in the lineup.
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Callaway moved Cespedes up to the No. 2 spot in the order because of analytical information that showed more runs could be scored with him there. He also flipped Rosario and the pitcher, thinking Rosario, at ninth, might feel less pressure and create more scoring chances for the top of the lineup. It worked.
“First time I’ve ever done it, but I felt good,” said Rosario, who was driven in twice by Cespedes.
Cespedes came to bat with the bases loaded in the second inning, and plated Kevin Plawecki, the Mets’ catcher, and Rosario with a single to left. He padded the Mets’ lead in the fifth with a single that also scored Rosario.
The Mets took the lead earlier in the inning when a newcomer, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, doubled in a run to break a 3-3 tie. Rosario followed with a run-scoring single.
Playing in their first opening day, center fielder Brandon Nimmo, Plawecki and Rosario reached base a combined nine times.
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“I couldn’t take the smile off my face because I was so excited to be out there playing again,” said Nimmo, who suffered several injuries last season.
After Familia induced a lineout from Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong to end the game, the Mets converged on the infield grass to share high-fives. In the dugout, Callaway hugged his coaches.
It remains to be seen how these Mets would hold up over the marathon of the season, but Thursday, at the very least, was the start of a new era in their history.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
JAMES WAGNER © 2018 The New York Times
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