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

Colin Holderman helped blow the Pirates game to the Marlins

Once a promising pitcher who many believed could be a regular fixture out of the bullpen for the Mets, Colin Holderman saw his time with the club come to a quick close at the 2022 trade deadline. The irony of it was that they traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Daniel Vogelbach while also adding Mychal Givens in a separate trade. Was keeping Holderman not an option?

We don’t need to re-examine history. At least for one day, those battle wounds of seeing Holderman depart and become a pretty good reliever for the Pirates in recent seasons wasn’t the story. Holderman’s collapse that cost the Pirates game one of the season against the Miami Marlins was how he reintroduced himself to the fans.

Holderman wasn’t obliterated but a pair of walks and two singles helped the Marlins tie the game in the eighth. David Bednar would eventually blow it completely.

Former Mets farmhand Endy Rodriguez started at first base for the Bucs, striking out 3 times and walking once. The Pirates went with Tommy Pham as their leadoff hitter. The regular season is 162 games long. In Pittsburgh, it’ll feel more like 162 years like it often does, especially with players like Holderman and Bednar doing what they did on Opening Day.