Schwei's Mets Notes: Amazin's Open Vs. Defending World Champs For Just 3rd Time
By John Schweibacher
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The New York Mets begin the 2016 season Sunday night against the team they lost to in the 2015 World Series, the Kansas City Royals. It will be the third time in club history the Mets play the reigning Fall Classic winner in a season opener.
Mets openers against the defending World Series champions:
• 1972 Pirates 0 at Mets 4. Tom Seaver and Tug McGraw combine on a five-hit shutout. Ed Kranepool homers, and the newly acquired Jim Fregosi has an RBI double in the season opener, which was delayed a week and a half by the first players strike.
• 2007 Mets 6 at Cardinals 1. Tom Glavine allowed one run in six innings and Paul Lo Duca drove in three runs as the Mets defeated the team that beat them in the 2006 NLCS.
The Mets' opener in Kansas City will be their 10th played at night. New York has gone 4-5 in those nine previous opening night games:
- 4/11/62 NYM 4 at STL 11
- 4/14/64 NYM 3 at PHI 5
- 4/8/86 NYM 4 at PIT 2
- 4/6/92 NYM 4 at STL 2 (10)
- 4/26/95 NYM 9 at COL 11 (14)
- 3/29/00 NYM 3 vs CHI 5 (Tokyo, Japan)
- 4/6/04 NYM 7 at ATL 2
- 4/1/07 NYM 6 at STL 1
- 4/1/11 NYM 2 at FLA 6
Ex-Met Dillon Gee, who was the Mets' Opening Day starter two seasons ago, made the Royals' 25-man roster. Gee will not be making the opening-night start against his former club -- in fact, no pitcher ever has made the start in the opener for both the Mets and Kansas City, but these 12 players did make Opening Day starts for both the Mets and the Royals
• Tim Spehr, C, 1997 KC, 1998 NYM
• John Buck, C, 2005-08 KC, 2013 NYM
• Mike Jacobs, 1B, 2009 KC, 2010 NYM
• Doug Mientkiewicz, 1B, 2006 KC, 2005 NYM
• Joe Foy, 3B, 1969 KC, 1970 NYM
• Gregg Jefferies, 3B, 1992 KC, 1989-91 NYM
• Keith Miller, OF, 1993 KC, 1990 NYC,
• Vince Coleman, OF, 1994 KC, 1991-93 NYM
• Kevin McReynolds, OF, 1992-93 KC, 1987-91, '94 NYM
• Brian McRae , OF, 1991-94 KC, 1998-99 NYM
• Carlos Beltran, OF, 1999-02, '04 KC, 2005-09, '11 NYM
• Jeff Francoeur, OF, 2011-13 KC, 2010 NYM
Seven players who appeared in the World Series for the Mets last October and November are no longer with the club: Daniel Murphy, Michael Cuddyer, Kelly Johnson, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Juan Uribe, Tyler Clippard and Jon Niese. Unless they someday return, they will have joined this list of 13 players whose last game for the Mets was in a World Series:
- 1969: Ed Charles, J.C. Martin.
- 1973: Willie Mays, Jim Beauchamp.
- 1986: Ray Knight, Danny Heep, Kevin Mitchell
- 2000: Mike Bordick, Kurt Abbott, Bubba Trammell, Bobby Jones, Matt Franco, Mike Hampton.
David Wright is set to make his 12th career Opening Day start for the Mets, surpassing the club record of 11 shared by Tom Seaver and Bud Harrelson.
Here is the list of players who made at least 12 Opening Day starts for a New York-based club, according to baseball-reference.com, whose database goes back to 1913:
- 18, Mel Ott, NY Giants
- 18 Mickey Mantle, NY Yankees
- 17 Derek Jeter, NY Yankees
- 15 Bill Dickey, NY Yankees
- 14 Lou Gehrig, NY Yankees
- 14 Willie Randolph, Yankees/Mets
- 13 Zack Wheat, Brooklyn Dodgers
- 13 Pee Wee Reese, Brooklyn Dodgers
- 13 Babe Ruth, NY Yankees
- 13 Bernie Williams, NY Yankees
- 12 Jorge Posada, NY Yankees
Yoenis Cespedes, Neil Walker and Michael Conforto all figure to make their first starts in a season opener for the Mets on Sunday night. These position players appeared in the most games for the Mets without ever getting a start on Opening Day with the club:
- Joe McEwing, 502
- Matt Franco, 452
- Mackey Sasser, 420
- Bruce Boisclair, 410
- Danny Heep, 395
- Daryl Boston, 382
- Timo Perez, 372
- Ted Martinez, 353
- Rod Kanehl, 340
- Endy Chavez, 337
