NEW YORK — Brett Baty laced a bases-loaded triple and the New York Mets chased Paul Skenes in the first inning of his worst major league start, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-7 on Thursday in their season opener at Citi Field.
Carson Benge homered in his first career game, going back-to-back with Francisco Alvarez at the bottom of a new-look lineup, and Freddy Peralta (1-0) won his Mets debut as New York improved to 42-23 on opening day before a sellout crowd of 41,449.
That’s the best record of any big league team — even though the Mets lost their first eight openers from 1962-69.
Leadoff man Francisco Lindor took a trio of free passes and scored each time. Luis Robert Jr. had two RBI singles in his Mets debut. Benge and Alvarez launched solo homers off reliever Justin Lawrence.
The Gotham Reporter 