Strike up the band, the New York Mets are at Citi Field today at 1:10 PM for their home opener against the Philadelphia Phillies! The Mets are 34-20 (.630) in Home Openers, including 4-3 at Citi Field.
Jacob deGrom is still slated to start the Mets, but if he gets a call from his wife Stacey that she is going into labor with the couple’s first child, he is Gone in Sixty Seconds. If that happens, Old Reliable Bartolo Colon will step in.
DeGrom was named to the NL All-Star team in 2015 and became the 11th pitcher in team history to record 200 strikeouts in a season. He finished fourth in the NL with a 2.54 ERA, tied for eighth in strikeouts (205), tied for seventh in wins (14) and fifth in opponents’ batting average against (.215).
For the second straight season deGrom will start the Home Opener vs. the Phillies. Last year, deGrom fired 6.1 scoreless innings and picked up the win in a 2-0 victory over Philadelphia in the Home Opener on April 13.
The players are all excited and chomping at the bit to get on the field and defend their National League Championship after receiving their handsome rings in a private ceremony on Thursday. And according to team captain David Wright there’s no place like home.
“What we did so great last year was take care of business at home. It will be a good test for us this weekend with a divisional rival coming in, a lot of emotion in the stadium. Guys are pumped to be here. Guys are ready to get the season under way and start playing every day. It should be a good atmosphere.”
Prior to today’s game, the Mets will raise the National League Pennant banner. Former NL Champions Rusty Staub (1973), John Franco (2000) and Edgardo Alfonzo (2000) will hoist the flag. A packed Citi Field will go wild at the site of that… Awesome!
I woke up with a huge smile this morning at the thought of all today’s festivities, seeing the players in their home uniforms, and just getting back to some good old fashioned Mets baseball in our home ballpark. There’s something magical and special about that first home game of a brand new season.
Enjoy the day, and Let’s Go Mets!
