Game Chat: Pirates vs Mets, 1:15 PM
Thursday, March 26, 2026 • 1:15 PM
Citi Field • Flushing, NY
RHP Paul Skenes (0-0, -.–) vs. RHP Freddy Peralta (0-0, -.–)
NBC • Peacock
The 2026 Mets officially take the field for the first time this afternoon!
In 2005, the Mets signed Carlos Beltrán and Pedro Martínez. They rolled into the season with the slogan “The New Mets”. They should bring that slogan back this year with the amount of roster turnover. The Mets rank 28th in how much of the 2025 roster is returning in 2026. Jorge Polanco, Marcus Semien and Bo Bichette join Francisco Lindor in the infield. Luis Robert Jr. and Carson Benge join Juan Soto in the outfield. Freddy Peralta makes an Opening Day start in Queens. Devin Williams and Luke Weaver will now close out games. Meet the Mets! There are a lot of new faces to learn!
Francisco Lindor (12) Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images
Mets Lineup
- Francisco Lindor – SS
- Juan Soto – LF
- Bo Bichette – 3B
- Jorge Polanco – 1B
- Luis Robert Jr. – CF
- Brett Baty – DH
- Marcus Semien – 2B
- Carson Benge – RF
- Francisco Alvarez – C
Starting Pitcher: Freddy Peralta
The Mets’ trade for Freddy Peralta was a real turning point of the offseason. Peralta is coming off a career season where he made 33 starts totaling 176 2/3 innings with a 2.70 ERA, 3.64 FIP, 1.075 WHIP and a 154 ERA+. He faced the Pirates three times last season, totaling 15 1/3 innings, allowing five runs, four earned (2.35 ERA) while striking out 18 batters. The Pirates have the following career numbers against Peralta:
- Joey Bart 1-2, HR, BB
- Oneil Cruz 1-13, HR, 3 BB, 4 K
- Henry Davis 0-7, BB, 4 K
- Nick Gonzalez 2-10, 2B, HR, 4 K
- Spencer Horwitz 2-7
- Brandon Loew 1-5, K
- Ryan O’Hearn 1-6, BB, 3 K
- Marcell Ozuna 4-20, 2 2B, 2 BB, 6 K
- Bryan Reynolds 15-39, 2 2B, 3B, HR, 5 BB, 13 K
- Jared Triolo 1-9, 2 K
- Nick Yorke 0-1, BB, K
Opposing Lineup
- Oneil Cruz – CF
- Brandon Lowe – 2B
- Bryan Reynolds – LF
- Marcell Ozuna – DH
- Ryan O’Hearn – RF
- Jared Triolo – SS
- Spencer Horwitz – 1B
- Nick Gonzales – 3B
- Henry Davis – C
Starting Pitcher: Paul Skenes
The Mets’ bats have a tough assignment on the first day of the season. Paul Skenes, the unanimous 2025 Cy Young winner, is a favorite to repeat this season. Over 32 starts last season, he totaled 187 2/3 innings with a league-leading 1.97 ERA, 2.36 FIP, 0.948 WHIP and 217 ERA+. He also allowed a league-leading 0.5 HR/9 and put up a 7.7 bWAR. This includes a start against the Mets where he allowed only one run over six innings in a game the Pirates eventually lost 4-3. The Mets have the following career stats against Skenes:
- Francisco Alvarez 0-4, BB, K
- Brett Baty 0-2, K
- Bo Bichette 1-3, K
- Francisco Lindor 2-6
- Jorge Polanco 1-4, BB, 2 K
- Juan Soto 0-3, BB, 2 K
- Mark Vientos 2-3, 2B, K
Game Notes
- Despite dropping their last two openers, the Mets still have the best Opening Day winning percentage in MLB history with a 41-23 record (.641).
- This is Freddy Peralta’s second Opening Day start at Citi Field – he allowed just one run on one hit in six innings for the Brewers in 2024. Peralta started against the Yankees on Opening Day last year, allowing two runs on four hits over five innings.
Three Things To Watch For
- 2026 Milestones. Several Mets hitters should reach personal milestones this season. Here are the big ones: Juan Soto 1000 walks, Bo Bichette 1000 hits, Marcus Semien 1000 runs scored and Francisco Lindor 300 home runs. While no franchise Mets records are expected to fall this season, Francisco Lindor and David Peterson look to move up several prominent lists this year. Francisco Lindor has scored 503 runs as a Met and should pass Mike Piazza (532) and Ed Kranepool (536) to get to 11th on the list. He should also pass Carlos Beltrán and Dave Kingman in home runs to get to sixth on the all-time list. David Peterson can end up as a top 20 Mets pitcher in a few categories.
- Battle of the fWAR Projections. The Pirates, anchored by Paul Skenes and several other rising arms, project ninth in pitching fWAR this season at 17.2, a few spots above the Mets (15.7). The Mets are projected to have the second-best offensive fWAR (31.7) while the Pirates are near the bottom of the league (20.9). Similar to how the Mets beat Skenes last season, their path to victory runs through getting Skenes out of the game as fast as possible and then feasting on the bullpen, while suppressing the Pirates’ bats.
- An Opening Day Debut. The Mets’ top position prospect made the roster! Carson Benge has exploded on top prospect lists before this season (Baseball America #19, MLB.com #16, Baseball Prospectus #10). He tore up spring training, going 15-for-41 with a double and a triple (.435 OBP) and comes off a season in which he hit .281/.385/.472. Welcome to the show!
Let’s go Mets!
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