Mets @ Marlins, 2008 Season Opener Live Blog
Opening Day – time to put the awful memories of September 2007 behind us. What better way than to have the prize pickup of the off-season, Johan Santana, take the mound to open the season?
Mets Starting Lineup
Reyes, J, SS
Castillo, 2B
Wright, 3B
Beltran, CF
Delgado, 1B
Pagan, LF
Church, RF
Schneider, C
Santana, P
Marlins Starting Lineup
Ramirez, SS
Uggla, 2B
Jacobs, 1B
Willingham, LF
Ross, CF
Cantu, 3B
Gonzalez, RF
Treanor, C
Hendrickson, P
4:07pm: As the booth cuts to the on-field ceremonies, they’re in the midst of introducing members of the Mets coaching staff.
4:09pm: Wow, the cheers are pretty loud for Pedro in Miami.
4:11pm: They’re cutting away from the Marlins introductions. That’s too bad as I wanted to hear the collective whispers of “who?” as they announce each player.
Start of 1st Inning
4:28pm: First pitch to Reyes is a strike and we’re off!
4:29pm: Three pitches and Reyes strikes out. Wonderful start for Reyes in 2008.
4:29pm: Still can’t believe the Mets gave Castillo a four-year deal.
4:30pm: I do appreciate his plate discipline though.
4:33pm: Luis Gonzalez is on the Marlins – who knew?
4:35pm: That’s the third 0-2 count for Hendrickson this inning.
4:36pm: Beltran gets a gift of a double on a muffed pop-up.
4:36pm: I can’t agree more – Delgado really needs a good year for the Mets to succeed.
4:37pm: Delgado goes the other way but Ramirez has it. Side retired.
4:40pm: Santana gets Ramirez to swing at his first pitch and the Johan Santana era for the Mets has begun.
4:41pm: Ramirez gets caught looking and, just like that, Mets fans can see what makes Santana so damned worth the money.
4:43pm: Quick 1-2-3 inning for Santana – exactly the way the Mets drew it up.
End of 1st Inning – Mets 0, Marlins 0
Start of 2nd Inning
4:46pm: Pagan’s first at-bat as a Met is a weak foul pop-up to the catcher.
4:47pm: Watch out! Church loses his grip and sends his bat off into foul territory.
4:49pm: Another foul pop-up to the catcher – Schneider this time.
4:53pm: Santana’s looking good so far.
4:54pm: Second fly ball to Beltran this inning – neither required much movement for him.
4:55pm: Nice work by Santana on the unassisted put-out. Six up, six down.
End of 2nd Inning – Mets 0, Marlins 0
Start of 3rd Inning
4:59pm: I’ll say this for Santana – at least he’s not an automatic out.
5:01pm: That was a perfect bunt by Castillo for a single.
5:01pm: He’s not on first for long as he takes second on a stolen base.
5:02pm: Wright lifts a shallow fly to center and Castillo’s stranded at second.
5:05pm: $3 million for Gonzalez – does that make him the most expensive Marlin?
5:06pm: It looks like Beltran’s gonna have a lot of work to do in the field when Santana’s on the mound.
5:07pm: Ron, Keith, and Gary better watch out as their conversation about “man love” can get into some dangerous territory very quickly.
5:08pm: That’s the sixth fly-ball out for Santana today. That’s fine as long as they’re not fly-ball home runs.
5:10pm: Hendrickson goes down swinging for Santana’s second strikeout of the game.
End of 3rd Inning – Mets 0, Marlins 0
Start of 4th Inning
5:13pm: Yeah, a lot of good things about the Mets got lost in September. It’s hard to find the good in the midst of a historic collapse.
5:14pm: A legitimate double for Beltran this time as he pulls a ball down the left-field line.
5:17pm: Ball four for Delgado and it’ll be up to the bottom of the Mets lineup to drive in a run.
5:18pm: Double for Pagan down the left-field line and his hot spring training has seemingly carried over. Beltran scores and Delgado goes to third with no outs. Mets up 1-0.
5:20pm: Church gets the ball through the hole for a single. Delgado scores and Pagan moves to second – still nobody out. Mets up 2-0.
5:22pm: Mets catch a break as Church avoids being doubled-off on the line drive by Schneider.
5:23pm: Will Willie call a squeeze with Santana at the plate? I doubt it.
5:26pm: Santana strikes out for the second out of the inning.
5:28pm: Base hit for Reyes and Pagan scores from third. Church moves to second and the Mets lead 3-0.
5:31pm: Castillo draws a walk and the bases are loaded for Wright. Finally, the Marlins get someone up in the bullpen.
5:34pm: Double into the gap for Wright and he clears the bases. Mets lead 6-0.
5:35pm: Beltran flies out to center and the inning mercifully comes to an end for Hendrickson.
5:38pm: Ramirez gets fooled badly on a Santana change-up.
5:39pm: How was that not a strike?
5:40pm: Not getting that call comes back to haunt Santana as he walks Ramirez.
5:41pm: Uggla’s also fooled on a change-up.
5:42pm: Fancy footwork by Santana covering first as Ramirez advances to second.
5:45pm: Willingham hits a bomb to left-field and the Mets lead is down to 6-2.
5:47pm: Santana gets Cantu for his third strikeout and the inning is over.
End of 4th Inning – Mets 6, Marlins 2
Start of 5th Inning
5:49pm: Exaggerated shift – must mean Delgado’s up.
5:51pm: And he hits right into it as Ramirez scoops the grounder on the right side of second base.
5:53pm: 1-2-3 inning – the Marlins really needed this one.
5:56pm: Santana can also use a quick inning – not that he’s in trouble but anything to wash down that home run he gave up can’t hurt.
5:58pm: Nice dive by Castillo to knock down the Gonzalez grounder but he really should have kept the ball in his pocket. Great dive from Schneider to keep the ball from going into the dugout.
6:00pm: There are many things that Schneider can do that Lo Duca couldn’t. Off the top of my head – how about Schneider having gone steroid-free and Lo Duca hasn’t?
6:01pm: Wild pitch from Santana that Schneider can’t stop and Gonzalez moves to second with one out.
6:02om: Treanor walks and Mets fans are starting to worry about this Santana fella.
6:05pm: Jason Wood, pinch-hitting for Hendrickson, strikes out on a pretty change-up for the second out.
6:07pm: Don’t worry, Gary – I thought that was a ball too.
6:07pm: Ramirez strikes out swinging for the third out of the inning. That’s Santana’s fifth of the day.
End of 5th Inning – Mets 6, Marlins 2
Start of 6th Inning
6:11pm: Ricky Nolasco takes over the pitching for the Marlins. Schneider eases him into the game by grounding out to second.
6:13pm: Reyes gets on base with a single through the right side of the infield and with no one else on, maybe he’ll run.
6:15pm: Reyes is caught stealing on a very close play to end the inning. As close as close can be – I think he was safe but it could have gone either way.
6:18pm: Uggla goes down swinging and Santana’s looking back on his game.
6:22pm: Santana made Jacobs look silly for his seventh K of the game.
6:22pm: Ground out to Reyes and a 1-2-3 inning for Santana.
End of 6th Inning – Mets 6, Marlins 2
Start of 7th Inning
6:26pm: Wright goes the other way for a double with one out.
6:28pm: Ah, speed – it really can slow a game down.
6:29pm: Wright’s caught stealing third and it’s not even close. Bad move.
6:29pm: Beltran strikes out and a promising inning comes to a close for the Mets.
6:33pm: Cantu leads off with a single to left.
6:34pm: Ross skies one to center – can of corn for Beltran and that’s the first out.
6:35pm: We get it, Keith – the Marlins fucked up by not having a righty pitch to Wright in the fourth. You don’t have to belabor the point.
6:37pm: Good take-out slide by Cantu to prevent the double-play on the grounder by Gonzalez.
6:39pm: Treanor strikes out and that’s eight for Santana. If that’s it for him, then I’d say he’s had a successful Mets debut.
End of 7th Inning – Mets 6, Marlins 2
Start of 8th Inning
6:43pm: They’re showing Santana getting some fist-pounds and high-fives. It’s likely that he’s done for the game.
6:45pm: Pagan walks and he’s had a pretty nice Mets debut too.
6:46pm: That was a pretty diving play by Ramirez to take a possible hit away from Church. Even more amazingly, they almost turned two on the play.
6:48pm: Nolasco’s done a good job keeping the Marlins in the game, tossing three shut-out innings.
6:50pm: Matt Wise is the new Mets pitcher.
6:51pm: He promptly gives up a single to Alfredo Amezaga, pinch-hitting for Nolasco.
6:54pm: After falling behind 0-2 on Ramirez, Wise gets him to pop out to Reyes for the first out.
6:55pm: Amezaga beats out the throw to second on the Uggla grounder to Reyes. First and second for the Marlins with one out and that’s it for Wise.
6:57pm: Scott Schoeneweis comes into the game to pitch for the Mets. I hope his performance in road games last season carries over.
6:58pm: Jacobs grounds out to Delgado for the unassisted put-out. Runners advance to second and third with two outs.
6:59pm: Exit Schoeneweis, enter Jorge Sosa.
7:04pm: Sosa gets Willingham to swing at a slider for the strikeout and the threat is over. Good work from Schoeneweis and Sosa to put out the fire.
End of 8th Inning – Mets 6, Marlins 2
Start of 9th Inning
7:07pm: Marlon Anderson is in the game, pinch-hitting for Sosa. Easily the best pinch-hitter the Mets have. He’ll be facing Matt Lindstrom.
7:08pm: Broken-bat flare that falls into shallow right-center and Anderson’s pinch-hitting prowess continues.
7:09pm: Reyes, bunting for a hit, sacrifices Anderson over to second. He’ll get the credit for a sacrifice but, really, he was bunting for a hit.
7:10pm: Treanor can’t block the Lindstrom wild pitch and Anderson moves to third. Treanor exacerbates the problem by throwing away the ball trying to get Anderson at third and Anderson scores. Mets lead 7-2.
7:11pm: The Marlins are going to have a long, arduous season.
7:12pm: Wright draws a walk with two outs.
7:15pm: Uggla makes a great diving stop on a Beltran grounder to take away a hit and the inning is over.
7:18pm: Aaron Heilman is in the game to close it out. They really need to find a way to lighten his load this season.
7:19pm: Heilman gets Cantu swinging and he’s looking good.
7:21pm: Ross strikes out swinging for the second out.
7:22pm: Comebacker to the mound – Heilman flips the ball to Delgado and the Mets win the game.
Game Over – Mets 7, Marlins 2
Great start for the Mets as they look to put 2007 behind them. Johan Santana will likely get all the attention for his performance but, as usual, David Wright delivered the knockout punch.