Mets Morning News: Tempers flare, but Mets stay undefeated

Meet the Mets

Max Scherzer made his debut and threw a quality start, while Jeff McNeil homered and the Mets had another well-balanced offensive display with timely hitting and contributions from most hitters in the lineup. The result was a 7-3 against the Nationals to improve the Mets’ record to 2-0.

Choose your recap: Amazin’ Avenue short and long, NY Post, Daily News, Newsday, North Jersey

Tempers did flare after Francisco Lindor was hit in the head by a pitch, the fourth time a Mets hitter has been plunked in these first two games.

Lindor is thankfully fine, and the team’s display of fire over his well-being made him proud to be a Met.

Buck Showalter was one of the first guys rushing to his players’ defense after seeing Lindor hit.

In a sad bit of news, Edwin Díaz may be away from the team for a period after his grandfather’s passing.

Some of the new Mets additions like Starling Marte and Mark Canha are off to quick starts with the team.

Chris Bassitt, who will be making his Mets debut today, is very comfortable in his own shoes.

Taijuan Walker will be good to go for his season debut on Monday after throwing a 45-pitch bullpen session yesterday.

Top prospects Francisco Álvarez and Bret Baty each had a homer and three hits on Opening Day in Binghamton.

Around the National League East

Charlie Morton had a solid season debut for the Braves, allowing two runs in 5.1 innings while striking out five. Meanwhile, Kenley Jansen came close to blowing the lead in his first appearance for his new team, but managed to hold on to give Atlanta a 7-6 win over the Reds.

The Phillies offense was on full display in their season opener, as was their shaky defense. The former overpowered the latter, as Philadelphia powered their way to a 9-5 win over the Athletics.

The Marlins scored three runs in the ninth to take a one-run lead against the Giants, but Anthony Bender gave up a homer to blow the save, and Miami subsequently lost the game in the 10th to go down 6-5 in their season opener.

The Nationals’ play in the early going of the season is a grim reminder of how fast the team has fallen since their 2019 championship.

Around Major League Baseball

An extensive three-year study on minor league conditions concluded that an increase to a $35,000 minimum salary is one of many changes that would help to improve the lives and professional development of minor league players.

The notoriously poor Yankees were unable to agree to a long-term contract extension with franchise player Aaron Judge prior to the start of the season, which Judge had set as his deadline to reach a deal.

The Mariners, on the other hand, agreed to an extension with shortstop J.P. Crawford, inking him to a five-year, $51 million deal.

Jeremy Peña rudely interrupted his parents as they were being interviewed by hitting his first career home run.

The Blue Jays fell behind 7-0, and then engineered the largest Opening Day comeback in 72 years to prevail over the Rangers 10-8.

Which three starting pitchers may be on the verge of breakout seasons in 2022?

This Date in Mets History

The 2001 Mets, a season after winning the National League pennant, opened their season with a win against the division rival Braves on this date twenty-one years ago.