LIVE BLOGGING FROM CITI FIELD
Cowgill’s Grand Slam puts exclamation point on Mets 11-2 win.
This game’s over and the Mets pounded the Padres 11-2 today at Citi Field.
It was an “All Hands On Deck Effort” by this revamped Mets team which was great to see.
Collin Cowgill with a huge Mets debut and big contributions also from Byrd, Buck, Wright, Tejada, Murphy and of course Jon Niese who looked sharp in his first start of the season.
Fun game and it was fun live blogging it for you.
Thanks to John – our man in the booth, and Clayton – our roving reporter/photographer, for all their help.
8th Inning
Mets have 11 runs on the board with no dancing, no fancy high fives, no curtain calls, and no showboating. This is good to see. #LGM
— Mets Merized Online (@MetsMerized) April 1, 2013
7th Inning
Jon Niese’s first Opening Day start is over: 6 2/3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 4 K, 2 BB, HR. 101 pitches, 62 strikes. Brandon Lyon in.
Cowgill just hit a grand slam that just made it over the wall and Mets tack on four more runs!.
Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow!
Mets 11. Padres 2
6th Inning
After a scoreless fifth, Niese got touched up for a home run in the top of the sixth. No harm no foul. He talked Collins into staying in and pitch the seventh inning. 12 of his 19 outs were all groundouts.
Mets 7, Padres 2
4th Inning
Cowgill hustles for a double and moves Niese to third. Then the Birthday Boy, Daniel Murphy, drives Niese home with a single to make it 5-1 Mets.
Wright picks up an RBI on a groundout to score Cowgill.
Byrd drives hom Murphy with a two-our TBI and the Mets are blowing this game wide open!
Niese is having a solid start…
Mets 7, Padres 1
Don’t look now, but we just got our 5,000th follower. Oh, alright go ahead and look if you must. 🙂 Lets Go Mets!
— Mets Merized Online (@MetsMerized) April 1, 2013
3rd Inning
The Mets’ third run of the game was brought to you and manufactured by Captain America’s hustle. #DW5
— Mets Merized Online (@MetsMerized) April 1, 2013
The Mets score two more runs in the inning. Tejada, Byrd, Buck all getting into the act. It’s utter pandemonium!
Mets 4, Padres 1
Grounds crew getting ready to replace the bases between innings @metsmerized @mets twitter.com/Clayton_Collie…
— Clayton Collier (@Clayton_Collier) April 1, 2013
2nd Inning
Ruben safe at third!!! @metsmerized twitter.com/Clayton_Collie…
— Clayton Collier (@Clayton_Collier) April 1, 2013
Ruben Tejada doubles home John Buck who chugs home to score the first run of the game. Deep breaths, John. 🙂
Slugger Jon Niese singles Tejada home for the Mets second run and the Mets are on top 2-0 after two innings.
I told you we had this! 🙂
Keith Hernandez is not loving the sea of orange t-shirts in right-center and calls them a distraction. He doesn’t like Volquez’ necklace either. Somebody give Mex a Tootsie Roll pop!
Mets 2, Padres 0
1st Inning
It’s scoreless after one, Wright got on after an error, but it could have easily been a hit. Who’s scoring this game, Alex68?
Niese throws first pitch of the season. Single to left. Winter is officially over. newyorkmetsreport.com @metsmerized
— John Delcos (@jdelcos) April 1, 2013
1:15 PM Update
First Responders from Hurricane Sandy take the field @metsmerized twitter.com/Clayton_Collie…
— Clayton Collier (@Clayton_Collier) April 1, 2013
12:45 PM Update
Awesome shot sent in by Clayton…
Don’t just stand there… Do something! 🙂
These two die-hards are here for their first ever Mets Opening Day!
Eddie Wilkowski made Stephen Keane of the Kranepool Society happy with this pic…
Me and John are doing a weekly feature saluting the ’73 Mets and Eddie was nice enough to chime in!
11:45 AM Update
MMO’s Coop, Ed and Joey never miss a Mets Opening Day!
BTW, Congrats to Joey our new MMO Senior Editor! 🙂
Clayton was happy to see his Fan Walk Brick was still looking as good as new.
Padres rookie Jedd Gyorko has his family here to see him make his MLB debut.
Hey! Omar Minaya is here and chillin’ with Bud Black!
Kevin Burkhardt is dressed to the nines…
METS OPENING DAY ROSTER
When the Mets are introduced this afternoon, there will be only nine players who were on last year’s Opening Day roster. Give a big hand to your New York Mets!
Catchers (2): John Buck, Anthony Recker.
Infielders (5): Daniel Murphy, David Wright, Ike Davis, Ruben Tejada, Justin Turner.
Outfielders (6):Â Jordany Valdespin, Collin Cowgill, Marlon Byrd, Lucas Duda, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Mike Baxter.
Pitchers (12):  Matt Harvey, Jeurys Familia, LaTroy Hawkins, Bobby Parnell, Jonathon Niese, Dillon Gee, Jeremy Hefner,Scott Rice, Greg Burke, Josh Edgin, Scott Atchison, Brandon Lyon.
9:00 AM Update
A dozen of us from Metsmerized Online have invaded Citi Field and we’ll be Live Blogging the entire day here at MMO. our MMO Fan Correspondent Clayton Collier is the first to report in and the newsstand caught his eye this morning.
John Delcos will be hitting the field and the clubhouse before the game and then will be posting in-game thoughts and some of the action live from the press box. After the game we’ll have a few roving reporters hitting the media room to catch what Terry Collins, David Wright and the rest of the team will have to say.
Clayton is going in armed and ready and will be donning his new All Star Jersey which he had displayed in his own Mets Hall of Fame along with his replica Citi Field Fan-Walk brick and player signed baseballs.
Opening Day Notes
A Grand Opening Day: Todd Hundley has the only Mets grand slam on Opening Day…Hundley’s slam came on April 26, 1995 at Colorado off Billy Swift.
Opening Day Double-Shots: Robin Ventura, Bobby Bonilla, Cleon Jones, Darryl Strawberry and Kevin McReynolds are the only five players in club history to hit two home runs in an Opening Day tilt…Ventura was the last to accomplish the feat on April 3, 2001 at Atlanta …Bonilla cracked two home runs in his first game as a Met on April 6, 1992 at St. Louis, Jones belted two home runs on April 6, 1975 vs. Philadelphia and Strawberry and McReynolds each hit two home runs on April 4, 1988 at Montreal in a 10-6 triumph.
Opening Day Zeroes: The Mets have recorded seven shutouts on Opening Day…The last time New York held an opponent scoreless on Opening Day was last year when the Mets blanked the Braves, 1-0…Meanwhile, the Mets have been shut out only once (7-0, April 9, 1963 vs. St. Louis) on Opening Day.
Opening Day Extras: The Mets have played six extra-inning games on Opening Day…They are 5-1 in those contests…The last extra-inning affair was a 6-4, 10-inning victory on April 3, 2001 at Atlanta.
Opening Day Ten-Spots: The Mets have scored 10 or more runs four times on Opening Day, including an Opening Day-high 12 runs on April 4, 1994 against the Cubs…New York surrendered an Opening Day-worst 15 runs to the Cubs in a 15-2 setback at Shea on March 31, 2003.
