New York Mets’ All-World right-hander Jacob deGrom began his 2020 season with a bang on Friday afternoon at Citi Field, contributing five innings of scoreless ball with eight strikeouts and a walk, allowing one hit and extending his scoreless innings streak to 28 games, dating back to last season.

As usual, he left without a lead.

A scoreless tie heading into the bottom of the seventh, Yoenis Cespedes — making his first MLB appearance in over two years — put the Mets ahead with a towering, 406-foot blast to deep left field. That would be all the Metsies would need.

Seth Lugo turned in two scoreless innings, Justin Wilson added a clean frame of his own, and Edwin Diaz shut the door with a clean outing to seal yet another Opening Day win for the Metropolitans.

Pitching

DeGrom dazzled in the first, retiring Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies with an array of 99 MPH fastballs and mid-90s sliders — yes, you read that right — and worked perfectly through the second, striking out Matt Adams and Austin Riley in the frame.

Acuna notched Atlanta’s first hit of the game with a soft groundball up the middle that almost inexplicably squeaked past Amed Rosario with two outs in the third but deGrom escaped the inning unscathed and mowed down Freddie Freeman and Marcell Ozuna in a flawless, 12-pitch fourth.

Entering the fifth at 62 pitches, deGrom struck out Riley again, got Dansby Swanson flailing at a 98 MPH outside-half heater, and got Ender Inciarte to fly out on the first pitch, securing another quick inning (10 pitches).

Seth Lugo entered to start the sixth, ending deGrom’s afternoon after five scoreless innings, and kept the good times rolling, striking out Alex Jackson and Acuna swinging at mid-90s four-seamers and inducing a weak flyball from Albies.

Lugo continued in the seventh, allowing a one-out double to Ozuna, who advanced to third on a wild pitch in the next at-bat. Trouble lurking? Nope.

With the infield in, Adams grounded out to McNeil — shifted onto the right side — locking Ozuna to the bag at third and Lugo got Riley looking at a 96 MPH high-outside fastball to end the threat and keep the game tied at nil.

A confident Seth Lugo is a productive Seth Lugo. And this guy appears to be unbreakable.

Left-hander Justin Wilson took the hill in the eighth — bringing Jake Marisnick and Andres Gimenez into the game as defensive replacements in left field and at second, respectively, as well.

Wilson allowed a bloop leadoff single to Swanson but retired Adam Duvall (strikeout), Jackson (groundout), and struck out Acuna looking at a 90 MPH cutter after two mid-90s four-seamers (one was whiffed on badly) to keep the lead intact.

Edwin Diaz came on to close things out in the ninth, working around a one-out walk to Freeman, striking out Ozuna on a wicked two-seamer and Adams swinging at a nasty slider to seal the deal.

Offense

The Mets got the leadoff man on twice over the first two innings — Brandon Nimmo led off the bottom half of the first with a base hit off Braves right-hander Mike Soroka and Michael Conforto was hit by a Soroka slider to start the second — but couldn’t capitalize in either scenario.

Jeff McNeil‘s one-out double in the fourth was initially ruled a single and putout at second after a cannon throw from Acuna in right field (overturned), but it was all for naught as he tried to advance on a Pete Alonso groundball to the left side of the infield, essentially giving himself up at third.

Cano shot an opposite-field single into left with one out in the fifth and J.D. Davis nearly brought him home with a two-run homer to center, but Inciarte made a leaping grab at the wall to quash that rally.

Amed Rosario laced a leadoff single into right field to kick off the bottom of the sixth but, again, the Mets couldn’t find a spark. Nimmo flew out, McNeil’s well-hit ball to left-center was run down by Inciarte, and Alonso struck out swinging to end the inning.

Then, The King returned in the seventh. Yoenis Cespedes took Braves right-hander Chris Martin deep to left field with one out, putting the Mets ahead 1-0.

Nimmo added his second hit of the day with a two-out single in the eighth.

On Deck

The Mets send left-hander Steven Matz (5-11, 3.97 ERA in 2019) out to face fellow southpaw Max Fried (1-4, 2.94 ERA) in the second game of Opening Weekend, 4:10 PM EST at Citi Field.

The game will be televised on SNY and broadcast on WBCS 880 AM.