3 takeaways from the NY Mets Opening Day loss to the Astros

The 2025 season did not get off to the way the New York Mets hoped as they dropped a 3-1 final to the Houston Astros. In years past, the Mets have dominated on Opening Day, posting a 41-14 record since 1970. However, over the past few seasons, they haven't been as lucky. It's the first time the Mets have lost back-to-back Opening Days since 1999-2000. Here are the main takeaways from the season opener.

1. Clay Holmes experiment starts with mixed results

Everyone has talked about the state of the Mets' rotation all offseason. Many analysts and fans saw the rotation as the weak spot of the roster, with all the question marks surrounding it. One central question was whether Clay Holmes could transition from a reliever to a starter. After being a reliever for almost the entirety of his big league career, many doubt that he could make the change. These concerns were quieted after Holmes posted excellent numbers in spring, but these concerns wouldn't stop until he proved it in the regular season.

He posted mixed results in his first opportunity to prove he can be an effective starter in the majors. He pitched 4.2 innings, giving up five hits, three runs, two of which were earned, four strikeouts, and four walks on 89 pitches. This was a mixed bag of an outing. A big problem Holmes had was the number of base runners he allowed. Constantly putting guys on base and soft singles/poor defense were the reasons Holmes gave up the runs he did.

However, there were many positive things he could build on. In his four strikeouts, he struck out Jose Altuve twice and caught Yordan Alvarez looking in his second at-bat. This means his pitches were effective over multiple innings, a fear many had. Also, throwing 89 pitches shows that he has the stamina to go late into games. All he needs to do is limit the base runners.