NEW YORK METS NOTES:
TODAY IS THE GREATEST: The Mets are set to open their 62nd season when they take on the Marlins today in Miami…In the history of Major League Baseball, the Mets (40-21, .656) have the best winning percentage on Opening Day…Research courtesy of Elias.
BEST RECORD ON OPENING DAY
TEAM RECORD WINNING PCT
New York Mets 40-21 .656
Seattle Mariners 28-18 .609
Baltimore Orioles 71-50 .587
New York Yankees 67-52 .563
Chicago Cubs 80-65 .552
OPENING DAY: After losing their first eight Opening Day contests, the Mets have won 40 of their last 53 Opening Day games (.755)…New York took nine straight openers from 1975-1983 to tie a major league record…The Mets have won 13 of their last 17 openers, including five of the last six.
WAY, AWAY FROM HERE: The Mets are 17-12 when starting the season on the road…Dating back to 2001, New York has won eight of its last 12 games when beginning the year on the road…This is the third straight year the Mets have opened the season on the road.
MAX OPENING: Scherzer today will toe the rubber for his first Opening Day start with the Mets and the seventh of his career…He started the opener in six of his seven seasons with Washington (2015-2016, 2018-2021) posting a record of 1-3 with a 2.72 ERA (12 ER/39.2 IP)…Scherzer twice started Opening Day against the Mets, opposing Bartolo Colon in 2015 and Jacob deGrom in 2019…He will be the first pitcher to start both for and against the Mets on Opening Day in his career… Elias notes that Madison Bumgarner (Arizona) is the only other active pitcher who has started a season opener for and against the same club.
THE CY YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS: The Mets have faced the defending Cy Young Award winner on Opening Day twice before…Both instances involved Tom Seaver and Steve Carlton…The first time occurred on April 6, 1973 vs. Philadelphia and the second on April 5, 1983 vs. Philadelphia.
LAST FIVE INSTANCES BOTH OPENING DAY STARTERS WON A CY YOUNG
DATE TEAMS PITCHERS
April 7, 2022 CLE at KC Shane Bieber vs. Zack Greinke
March 28, 2019 HOU at TB Justin Verlander vs. Blake Snell
March 28, 2019 NYM at WAS Max Scherzer vs. Jacob deGrom
March 29, 2018 CLE at SEA Corey Kluber vs. Felix Hernandez
April 3, 2017 SEA at HOU Felix Hernandez vs. Dallas Keuchel
STARTING OFF WITH A BANG: The Mets have only had one player to record a leadoff home run on Opening Day…Kaz Matsui began the first game of the 2004 season with a home run off Russ Ortiz on April 6 in Atlanta.
GRAND SLAMS: Collin Cowgill and Todd Hundley are the only two Mets to hit a grand slam on Opening Day…Cowgill went deep on April 1, 2013 off San Diego’s Brad Brach…Hundley’s slam came on April 26, 1995 at Colorado off Billy Swift.
TWO HOME RUNS: 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.
EXTRA, EXTRA ON OPENING DAY: The Mets have played seven extra-inning games on Opening Day…They are 5-2 in those contests…The last extra-inning affair was in 2014, a 9-7 loss to the Nationals…The last Mets Opening Day win in extras was a 6-4, 10-inning victory on April 3, 2001 at Atlanta.
A SHOW ABOUT NOTHING: The Mets have recorded 10 shutouts on Opening Day… Before 2021, the Mets won back-to-back Opening Days via shutout, a 2-0 win at Washington in 2019 and a 1-0 win against the Atlanta Braves in 2020…The Mets have been shut out only once (7-0, April 9, 1963 vs. St. Louis) on Opening Day… Research courtesy of Elias.
QUICK CHANGE: Tim Locastro has changed to uniform #26. IT WAS IN THE CARDS: The Mets were in the Postseason for the first time since 2016 and for the 10th time in franchise history…Last year marked the fourth Wild Card berth in team history…Also in 1999, 2000 and 2016.
MARLINS-METS NOTES: The Mets are opening the season in Miami for the first time since 2011…The Mets fell to the then Florida Marlins, 6-2, at Sun Life Stadium…This marks the fourth time that the Marlins and Mets will face each other on Opening Day…The Mets are 2-2 against the Fish on the first day of the season…The two teams played each other also in 2010, 2008 and 1999.
2023: 0-0 2022: 13-6 History: 268-231
@NY: 0-0 @NY: 6-4 @NY: 142-111
@MIA: 0-0 @MIA: 7-2 @MIA: 125-118
@PR: 1-2
WHEN I WAS 22: The Mets finished 2022 going 101-61 and finished in second place in the National League East…It was a 24-win improvement from the 2021 season… The Mets have recorded 100 wins in a season four times in franchise history: 1986 (108), 2022 (101), 1988 (100) and 1969 (100)…The team’s 101 wins were the second-most in franchise history…Only the 1986 team (108-54) finished with a better record.
THREE’S COMPANY: The 2022 Mets joined the 1972 club as the only teams in franchise history that never had more than a three-game losing streak…The last such National League team to not lose more than three-in-a-row prior to 2020 was the 2014 Dodgers (three games)…Courtesy of Elias.
THE BUCK STARTS HERE: Buck Showalter owns a 1,652-1,578 (.511) career record as a manager…His 1,652 wins place him 19th all-time in major league history…Showalter has now managed four teams to the Postseason…He is the fourth manager to accomplish that feat in major league history, joining Dusty Baker (five teams) and Billy Martin and Davey Johnson (four teams)…Showalter is the first manager in Mets history to record 100 victories in his first season with the club…He also joins Yogi Berra as the only managers to guide the Mets and Yankees into the playoffs.
JEFF McHITS: Jeff McNeil won the 2022 National League batting title, finishing atop the major leagues and the NL with a .326 batting average…José Reyes (.337 average in 2011) is the only other player in Mets history to be crowned an NL batting champion…McNeil is the first Mets player to lead the majors in average…His .326 batting average places him sixth on the franchise’s single-season list…It was the highest average by a Met since Reyes’ .337 mark in 2011.
HITTING THE ROAD: New York finished the 2022 season going 47-34 on the road… Their .580 road winning percentage placed them third in the majors and second in the NL…It was tied for the fourth-best road record in team history and the highest road-winning percentage since 2007…Overall, they hit .265/.334/.424 away from Citi Field…Their .265 road average was second in the majors and the best in the NL, while their .334 OBP led The Show…They ranked fourth in MLB and second in the Senior Circuit with a .424 SLG…Brandon Nimmo (.406), Jeff McNeil (.399) and Mark Canha (.378) ranked three through five in road OBP in the National League.
THE EAST IS A BEAST: The Mets went 50-26 against the NL East this year…Their .658 winning percentage against the NL East was the best mark in club history…They lost only three series in the division all season long (against Atlanta, August 15-18, Washington, September 2-4 and September 30-October 2 at Atlanta)…They won the season series vs. Philadelphia, Washington and Miami…Overall, the Mets posted a 3.38 ERA against the East, while hitting .262/.335/.425…The Mets outscored their divisional opponents, 380-272.
MORE MAX: In his age-37 season, Scherzer posted a 2.29 ERA with 173 strikeouts… Since the earned run became an official statistic in 1913, only three pitchers have posted an ERA that low with as many strikeouts at age 37 or older:
Roger Clemens
(1.87 ERA, 185 strikeouts at age 42 for the 2005 Astros) and Hall of Famer Dazzy Vance
(2.09 ERA, 200 strikeouts at age 37 for the 1928 Brooklyn Dodgers)…Justin Verlander
(1.75 ERA, 185 strikeouts at age 39) also accomplished this feat in 2022.
SMILE LIKE YOU MEAN IT: Francisco Lindor hit 26 home runs last season…That surpasses Asdrubal Cabrera’s 23 home runs in 2016 for the most by a Mets shortstop in a single season…He set the single-season record with most RBI by a Mets shortstop, recording 107 this season…He led major league shortstops in RBI, ranked third in walks (59), was third in home runs, tied for third in triples (five), fifth in OBP (.337) as well as OPS (.782) and ninth in SLG (.445)…Lindor led all shortstops in the majors, ranked seventh in MLB and fifth in the National League with a 6.8 fWAR.
ONLY A FEW CAN COM-PETE: Pete Alonso set a franchise single-season RBI record with 131 last year…His 131 RBI were tied for the major league lead and led the National League…Only once before in franchise history has a Met finished the season with the most or tied for the most RBI…Howard Johnson recorded a career-best 117 RBI in 1991 to lead the National League…He had 27 game-winning RBI season, the most since the stat was first tracked in 1974…His 35 go-ahead RBI were tied for the second-most in a single season in Mets history…Keith Hernandez had 36 go-ahead RBI in 1985.
Max Scherzer RHP #21
SCHERZER NEWS & NOTES
OPENING UP: Scherzer today will toe the rubber for his first Opening Day start with the Mets…He started the opener in six of his seven seasons with Washington (2015-2016, 2018-2021) posting a record of 1-3 and a 2.72 ERA (12 ER/39.2 IP)…Scherzer twice started Opening
Day against the Mets, opposing Bartolo Colon in 2015 and Jacob deGrom in 2019…He will be the first pitcher ever to start both for and against the Mets on Opening Day…Madison Bumgarner (Arizona) is the only other active pitcher who has started for and against the same team on Opening Day in his career.
SPRING FORWARD: Scherzer made four starts during Spring Training, going 2-1 with a 1.53 ERA (3 ER/17.2 IP)…In his final tuneup for the regular season, Scherzer tossed a quality start at Tropicana Field against the Rays…He pitched 6.0 innings, allowing two runs on four hits with 11 strikeouts and one walk…He threw 100 pitches in the outing.
VS. MIAMI: Scherzer did not pitch against Miami last season…His last start against the Marlins was on June 27, 2021 with Washington, a 5-1 victory…Scherzer has allowed one or no earned runs in eight of his last 10 starts against the Fish, recording a 2.06 ERA (15 ER/65.2 IP) in those 10 games…Owns a 15-5 record with a 2.94 ERA (55 ER/168.1 IP) in 26 career starts against Miami, including an 8-4 record and 2.54 ERA (25 ER/88.2 IP) against the Marlins on the road.
DOUBLE THE FUN: Scherzer ranks tied for third all-time with 110 double-digit strikeout games in his career, two more than Pedro Martinez…His next 10+ K game will break a tie with Roger Clemens, who also had 110 in his career…He’ll then need over 100 more to catch the top two: Nolan Ryan (215) and Randy Johnson (212).
LEGENDARY: Scherzer and Justin Verlander swapped places on the all-time strikeouts leaderboard all season long in 2022…Now teammates in 2023, the pair are neck and neck, with just five punchouts separating the two…With 178 or more strikeouts this season, Scherzer can enter the top-10…Scherzer now ranks 13th all-time, having passed all-time greats Fergie Jenkins, Pedro Martinez, Bob Gibson, Curt Schilling, CC Sabathia and John Smoltz last season…See below for a chart of the No. 10-19 strikeout pitchers of all-time:
QUITE THE DEBUT: After signing a three-year deal with New York last offseason, Scherzer posted a 2.29 ERA (37 ER/145.1 IP) in his first season with the Mets…That is the lowest mark in a season in his career and the best all-time in a pitcher’s first season with the Mets (min. 140.0 innings)…His 0.91 WHIP was not just the best mark by a Met in his first season with the club, it was the best by any Met in club history (min. 140.0 innings)…Scherzer did not allow more than four runs in any of his 23 regular-season starts last season.
2022 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Won his Mets debut on April 8 in Washington against his former team…Tossed 7.0 one-hit innings, allowing just one run while racking up 10 strikeouts in his Mets home debut vs. San Francisco on April 19…Threw 7.0 shutout frames, punched out 10 and allowed only two hits in his hometown at the Cardinals on April 25, setting the stage for New York’s five-run, ninth-inning comeback rally…Threw 6.0 scoreless innings and struck out a season-high 11 batters in his return from the IL on July 5 at Cincinnati…Blanked the Yankees over 7.0 innings on his 38th birthday, July 27, in a 3-2 Subway Series victory at Citi Field… Defeated Atlanta three times over an eight-start stretch (July 11, August 6 and August 17)… Earned his 200th career victory in the Mets’ playoff-clinching win at Milwaukee on September 19, throwing 6.0 perfect innings in his first start after a two-week stay on the IL.
ALWAYS IMPROVING: Scherzer set a career-best mark with a 2.29 ERA last season after posting what was then a career-best 2.46 ERA in 2021…No other pitcher since 1913 has thrown 130.0 or more innings and posted an ERA below 2.50 in both his age 36 and age 37 seasons…Only five pitchers have done that twice at any point after turning 36: Hoyt Wilhelm (three times – 1959, 1964-65), Eddie Plank (three times – 1915-17), Randy Johnson (2001-02), Dennis Martinez (1991-92) and Babe Adams (1919-20).
THE 7.0 LINE: Scherzer threw 7.0 innings eight times in 23 starts last season…Each time Scherzer completed 7.0 innings, he finished his outing with one or no runs allowed…Despite missing a total of nine weeks on the Injured List, those eight outings of 7.0+ innings while allowing one or no runs still tied for the fourth-most in the majors.
MIAMI MARLINS NOTES:
MARLINS MINUTE
The Marlins today open the 2023 regular season with the first of four games against the Mets at loanDepot park. Miami will wrap up the opening homestand with a three-game set against the Twins, their first of 15 Interleague series in 2023. The club’s first road trip includes a three-game series against the Mets that starts on April 6, with a built-in off day on April 7, before heading to play the reigning National League-champion Phillies from April 10-12.
OPENING DAY
The Marlins are 12-18 on Opening Day in franchise history. Are opening the season at home for the 22nd time in franchise history, having gone 10-11 in the previous 21 such contests.
• Today marks Miami’s first match-up against the Mets on Opening Day since 2011 at Sun Life Stadium (now Hard Rock Stadium), the last opening day before the club moved to Miami. In four previous Opening Day match-ups between the teams, the Marlins have fared 2-2.
• The Marlins have gone 1-8 in Opening Day home games at loanDepot park. Are looking to snap a six-game losing streak in such contests dating back to their last Opening Day win at home in 2014 vs. Colorado.
FOURTH TIME’S THE CHARM
The 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner RHP Sandy Alcantara will toe the rubber today for Miami in his fourth consecutive Opening Day start. He becomes the first pitcher in Marlins history to make four consecutive Opening Day starts. Surpassed the previous mark of three, which he shared with Josh Beckett (2003-05) and Josh Johnson (2010-12). Alcantara is one of three pitchers in the Majors scheduled to make a fourth consecutive Opening Day start with the same team, joining Philadelphia’s Aaron Nola (sixth) and Cleveland’s Shane Bieber (fourth).
• In 2022, Alcantara became the first pitcher in franchise history to win the National League Cy Young Award. He was unanimously selected the winner after leading MLB with 228.2 innings pitched and 6 complete games. Ranked fifth in ERA (2.28); among NL pitchers, ranked second in ERA, fourth in strikeouts (207), and sixth in WHIP (0.98) and opponents batting avg. (.212).
• Overall, during Sandy’s entire life (born Sept. 1995) only two pitchers have reached these marks since the 1996 season: Felix Hernandez, SEA (2010) and Pedro Martinez, MON (1997). Both of those pitchers won the Cy Young Awards in their league that year.
• His 14 wins were the most by a Marlins pitcher since Jose Ureña in 2017 (14 wins). Only Jose Fernandez, who won 16 games in 2016, recorded more wins since the team moved to Miami in 2012.
• Held opponents to 2 ER or less in 25 of 32 starts, tying the most such outings by a starter in club history, done by Kevin Brown in 1996
(250). Only two pitchers in MLB had more such starts, Jose Quintana (26 – PIT/STL) and Julio Urias (26 – LAD).
TEALING BACK TIME
The Marlins will teal back time with throwback Florida Marlins uniforms – same as the 1993 team in the organization’s inaugural season – for Friday home games this season (excluding June 2 – Lou Gehrig Day, and September 15 – Roberto Clemente Day). The throwback uniform will consist of the teal hats, featuring a 30th anniversary logo patch on the side, and the home white jerseys and pants with teal pinstripes.
• Every Marlins home Friday game will be themed Flashback Friday and feature special appearances from former players, coaches, and other fan favorites. Additional elements on Flashback Fridays include a Marlins Museum presented by Fanatics opening April 14, and special 30th Anniversary logo baseballs during Friday home games.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
The Marlins roster is re-shaped from last season, featuring six players who did not appear in with the organization last year.
• Offensively, Miami acquired infielder Luis Arraez from Minnesota. The reigning American League batting champion posted a .316 avg. (173×547) in 2022 and owns a .314 avg. in four career Major League seasons. The club also signed free-agent infielder Jean Segura to a two-year deal with a club option for a third year. Segura, a two-time All-Star and the 2016 NL hits leader, has averaged 6.7 AB/SO during his 11-year professional career, the third-best mark since 2012 among players with at least 1,300 games played. The newest addition to the Marlins lineup is two-time World Series champion and 2021 AL Batting Champion Yuli Gurriel, who hit 40 doubles last season for the World Series champion Houston Astros.
• Miami bolstered the starting rotation with the signing of free-agent pitcher Johnny Cueto. The 15-year veteran is a 2015 World Series champion and two-time All-Star, owning a career 143-107 record and 3.44 ERA in 355 appearances (353 starts). To add to the back end, the Marlins acquired right-handed reliever Matt Barnes from Boston, who posted a 1.59 ERA (22.2 IP/4 ER) with six saves in his final 24 appearances of 2022. Additionally, Miami acquired former first-round selection A.J. Puk from Oakland. The southpaw led the Athletics bullpen with 76 strikeouts last year in his first full season in the big leagues.
ACCOLADES
The Marlins’ Opening Day active roster features 13 All-Star appearances (10 players), four World Series Champions, two Batting Champions, one Stolen Base Champion, and one Cy Young Award winner.
500 CLUB
SS Joey Wendle currently sits at 490 career hits. Teammate Jean Segura owns 492 career RBI.
• 1B Yuli Gurriel begins the season with 94 career home runs, just six shty of the century mark.
NEW SKIP IN TOWN
Miami heads into the 2023 season with Skip Schumaker at the helm for his first managerial position after serving as St. Louis’s Bench Coach last season. Schumaker concluded his 11-year Major League career in 2015, appearing in a total of 1,149 games with the Cardinals (2005-12), Los Angeles Dodgers (2013), and Cincinnati Reds (2014-15). He is a two-time World Series champion (2006, 2011) as a member of the Cardinals.
CONSISTENCY MATTERS
The Marlins’ Opening Day lineup features 7 of 10 players who appeared in last year’s Opening Day lineup. Marks the first time since 2018-19 that the team had three or fewer differences in the Opening Day starting lineup form one year to the next.
TODAY’S STARTER
22 SANDY ALCANTARA
• Sandy Alcantara (Al-CON-ta-ra), 27, finished his historic 2022 season with 32 starts going 14-9 with a 2.28 ERA and 207 strikeouts in 228.2 innings, along with 6 complete games, a 0.98 WHIP, and a .212 opponents’ batting average in 32 starts. He led Major League Baseball in innings pitched and complete games and led all NL pitchers with an 8.1 WAR (Baseball Reference). During Alcantara’s entire life (born Sept. 1995) only two pitchers reached the same statistical totals since the 1996 season: Felix Hernandez, SEA (2010) and Pedro Martinez, MON (1997).
• In November 16, 2022 – Sandy Alcantara was named unanimously the 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner, becoming the first pitcher in Marlins’ franchise history to receive the honor.
• Won Baseball Digest’s MLB Pitcher of the Year Award. Became the second Marlin to win this honor (Dontrelle Willis, 2005). Was named the second annual Juan Marichal Award recipient, an honor given to the league’s best Dominican player.
• His 14 wins were the most by a Marlins pitcher since Jose Urena in 2017 (14-7). The last Marlin to have more wins was Jose Fernandez, who won 16 games in 2016.
• Became the first pitcher since Chris Sale in 2016 to throw 6 CG. Only three pitchers in club history have recorded more CGs in a season – Livan Hernandez (9, 1998), A.J. Burnett (7, 2002) and Dontrelle Willis (7, 2005).
• Posted a 1.64 ERA (121.0 IP/22 ER) in 16 starts at loanDepot park. Marked the best home ERA by a Marlins starter with at least 15 starts since Jose Fernandez in 2016 and is the fourth-lowest mark in club history (J. Fernandez, 1.19 – 2013; J. Johnson, 1.57, 2010; J. Fernandez,
1.63 – 2016).
