2 former NY Mets players who had an impressive Opening Day, 1 who had a day to forget

Outside of rap battles, one moment won’t define your entire career. Opening Day first impressions are easy to get caught up in. New York Mets fans were left scratching their heads as to who this version of Clay Holmes is in comparison to the one from St. Lucie. No runs across the board until a sacrifice fly for the penultimate out of the game, the offense wasn’t the potent fire we had immediately expected it could be.

While many of us were distracted with the Mets dropping their first game of the season 3-1 against the Houston Astros, 14 other games happened. Featured were some performances by ex-Mets players who delivered in a variety of ways. It was a good day for some. Others didn’t shine so brightly.

Harrison Bader had a big Opening Day for the Twins

Seeing Harrison Bader start for the Minnesota Twins as their left fielder feels like a waste of his defensive talent. On a roster with Byron Buxton (healthy for now) it’s the only thing they could do. The center field guardian for the Mets last year for a good chunk of the early part of the year, he made a strong first impression with his new ball club.

Ripping a two-run home run off of Sonny Gray in the fifth inning, Bader helped the Twins score their first runs of the season. He’d double with two outs in the ninth inning. The other three Twins hitters to step up to the plate were strikeout victims.

Minnesota couldn’t have asked for much more from Bader in his first game. Fans shouldn’t expect it to continue for all too long. Against his original big league team, the St. Louis Cardinals, Bader had a successful day but saw his team suffer a loss.