Mets versus Phillies on Opening Day hasn’t happened since 1998

Somehow, the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies have gone more than two decades without playing each other on Opening Day. The two franchises are no strangers to the concept. From 1973-1975, the two played each other in three straight openers.

This year, the Phillies won’t have the Mets on their Opening Day schedule because they already have three games in the books. The Mets, after having their weekend opener wiped away against the Washington Nationals, play Philadelphia on their Opening Day for the first time since 1998.

The last time the Mets played the Phillies on their Opening Day ended in a 1-0 shutout

It was a wild one to begin the 1998 season at Shea Stadium. In a matchup between Curt Schilling and Bobby Jones, the two teams went scoreless for 13 and a half innings. Schilling held the Mets to two hits across eight frames while Jones surrendered four hits in his six innings of work.

The bullpens went to work in this game and things remained scoreless until Alberto Castillo singled with the bases loaded and two outs. The Mets had three hits in the inning, all singles, accounting for almost half of the hits they had all day long.

The game was as pitcher-centric as possible. Not a single player on either roster had an extra-base hit.

Some Opening Day games start off with a bang. In 1998, it took a little longer for anyone to touch home plate.

Past Opening Days versus the Phillies

The Mets have been ridiculously awesome at winning games on Opening Day. Against the Phillies, they’ve been equally as terrific.

The last loss to the Phillies on Opening Day was in 1974 when they dropped the game by a score of 5-4. Before that, the only other loss was in 1964 when the Mets couldn’t buy a victory on Opening Day.

Altogether, the Metropolitans have faced the Phils eight times already. Six times they were victorious. Three times Tom Seaver was on the mound in the wins. In two others, it was a guy named Jones—Randy Jones in 1982 and Bobby Jones in 1998.

Want your voice heard? Join the Rising Apple team!

Write for us!

Opening Day results tend to be a little arbitrary and don’t reflect how the team will perform throughout the year. With that said, the return of Mets baseball brings a whole lot of excitement to a fanbase starved for a championship. Whether it’s the Phillies or any other team the Mets face on Opening Day, the return of Amazins baseball should have you thrilled.