After splitting their opening series in Japan versus the Chicago Cubs on March 29th and March 30th, the New York Mets opened their stateside season on April 3rd against the San Diego Padres in front of a packed house of 52,308 at Shea Stadium.

Al Leiter, coming off a strong 1999 campaign and even stronger postseason, stifled the Friars, scattering five hits over eight innings of one-run ball, striking out seven and walking none (104 pitches; 70 strikes).

Padres’ third baseman Phil Nevin led off the top of the second with a solo homer, but that would be the only blemish on Leiter’s line.

Heading into the bottom of the seventh, still down 1-0 and with only one hit to their credit up until that point (Todd Zeile, leadoff double off Sterling Hitchcock in the second), the Metsies came alive.

Edgardo Alfonzo (walk) and Mike Piazza (single) both reached base to start the frame, but Zeile’s sacrifice fly in the next at-bat would be all the Mets could muster. A potential missed opportunity.

Leiter finished his day with a perfect eighth to keep the game tied at one, and the newly acquired Derek Bell got himself acquainted with the Shea faithful in terrific fashion with a two-out, solo home run off Donne Wall in the bottom half of the inning to put the Mets ahead, 2-1.

Right-hander Armando Benitez set down Nevin, Ryan Klesko, and Bret Boone in a 1-2-3 ninth to secure the win.

After an off-day on Tuesday, San Diego righty Woody Williams and the Padres bullpen kept the Mets in check for a 4-0 win to even the series.

Bobby Jones got the nod for New York, but couldn’t make it out of the third after being knocked around for four earned runs on six hits. A bases-loaded walk to Boone to make it 4-0 with two outs in the second was the end of the line for Jones.

Despite totaling seven hits (Zeile went 2-for-3, Rickey Henderson, Darryl Hamilton, Robin Ventura, Edgardo Alfonzo, and Kurt Abbott each notched a hit apiece), the Mets just couldn’t solve San Diego’s crafty veteran starter, right-hander Carlos Almanzar (two innings), and Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman, who closed out the victory.

After losing his team debut on Opening Day in Japan, Mike Hampton made his second start for the Mets versus right-hander Matt Clement in the series finale versus San Diego on Thursday, April 6.

After working around an Eric Owens single and stolen base in the second, Hampton wasn’t as fortunate in the top of the third.

Pads’ catcher Carlos Hernandez singled to start the inning, Clement sacrifice bunted him over, Hampton struck out left fielder Al Martin looking but walked shortstop Damian Jackson, and center fielder Ruben Rivera made him pay with a two-run triple into the gap in right-center.

San Diego tacked on two more in the sixth (both unearned following an uncharacteristic Rey Ordonez throwing error) and three more in the seventh off right-hander Turk Wendell after a leadoff walk to Martin and two, two-out, extra-base, RBI hits via Nevin (double) and Owens triple).

Alfonzo drew a bases-loaded walk of his own in the bottom of the seventh for New York’s first run and Benny Agbayani connected on an RBI double with two outs in the eighth to make it an 8-2 game, but even Todd Pratt‘s three-run homer in the ninth wasn’t enough.

With Los Angeles heading into town for a three-game weekend tilt, the Mets had to kick themselves into gear quickly.