I'm not quite sure how it happened, but the Mets pounded out nine runs on 14 hits and the game still wound up taking just 2 hours, 17 minutes. I don't know of a place that breaks down game time by half inning, but I'd be curious to know how much of that game time was consumed by each team's at-bats. Much of the brevity was R.A. Dickey's doing, as he allowed just eight baserunners in a complete-game five-hitter, walking three and striking out four. His knuckler must have been sinkier than usual, as he got nearly three ground outs for each fly out including three double plays.
Offensively, Carlos Beltran and Angel Pagan knocked in three runs apiece, with Beltran clocking a home run and a double and lifting his OPS above .700 for the season. Baby steps, people. He-who-must-not-be-named went 2-for-4 with a bomb over the wall in dead center field. Jose Reyes went 2-for-3 with a walk and Ruben Tejada went 3-for-4, lifting his average above .200 for the first time in what seems like forever.
Poem by Howard Megdal
Mets score so many more runs than they need
For their ace who throws with deliberate speed
Team's opening day start, sans Johan, needn't be feared
Here's hoping the Mets answer that call with The Beard