A win and 10 other moments or events Mets fans want to see on Opening Day

New York Mets Opening Day takes place on Thursday, March 30, 2023. It won’t take place at Citi Field this season. Instead, some of that PTO you saved up through the first nearly three months of the year could come in handy as you make your way down to Miami as the Mets take on the Marlins.

It doesn’t matter where Opening Day takes place. It’s an event every baseball fan enjoys as long as the weather cooperates. We’ll all be locked in for every pitch this season with Max Scherzer on the mound to kick things off. Aside from a win, what else does every fan want to see?

1)NY Mets fans hope to see double-digit strikeouts from Max Scherzer

A win for Scherzer plus a whole bunch of Marlins going down on strikes would make Opening Day delightful. Let’s ask for six strong and ten strikeouts from the co-ace of the staff.

2) NY Mets fans hope to see a Pete Alonso bomb

We can’t wait until Pete Alonso gets to Queens to see him go yard. Start the year off with a bang. Give us a long and far one as soon as possible. Remind everyone who the reigning National League RBI leader is.

3) NY Mets fans hope to see a productive day at the plate from Omar Narvaez

Omar Narvaez will probably start on Opening Day for the Mets. When he does, he can gain some fans by picking up a couple of hits. Narvaez doesn’t have to be the guy the offense runs through. He simply needs to outperform James McCann. What’s so hard about that?

4) NY Mets fans hope to see a clean effort from the bullpen

Brooks Raley in the seventh, Adam Ottavino in the eighth, and David Robertson in the ninth. It’s a probable way to end the day. Seeing Raley pitch in a regular season game and succeed plus a save from Robertson would help ease early concerns about the bullpen.

5) NY Mets fans hope to see contributions from the little guys

A big hit from Tommy Pham coming off the bench? Daniel Vogelbach drawing three walks and knocking a double? A Luis Guillorme highlight reel catch when he finishes off the game at third base? It doesn’t matter which tops your list. Contributions from the little guys are always welcomed.

6) NY Mets fans hope to see Buck Showalter take advantage of the rule changes

Buck Showalter is a master of the MLB rule book. Taking advantage of one of those rules in game one would remind us all how dedicated he is to finding ways to make them benefit his ball club.

7) NY Mets fans hope to see some sign of Edwin Diaz

I’m curious how much Edwin Diaz will hang around the Mets this year. Because his injury is to his lower body, moving around might not be advisable. This early on in his recovery, a jersey will suffice. If cleared, I wouldn’t be shocked to see him present at the home opener a week later. We need to hear Timmy Trumpets at some point.

8) NY Mets fans hope to see Eduardo Escobar pick up where he left off

Plenty of Mets fans were ready for Eduardo Escobar to lose his starting third base job whether it was to Carlos Correa or Brett Baty. He had a tremendous finish in 2022. Picking up exactly where he left off can silence his doubters.

9) NY Mets fans hope to see Francisco Lindor at the center of the victory

Francisco Lindor doesn’t do just one thing well. It’s what makes him such a valuable asset to the Mets. If all of these other things we want to see occur, he doesn’t even need to have a hit. A sacrifice fly or stealing a run with his defense is good enough to begin the year. As long as he’s at the center of the victory, we’ll get what we want.

10) NY Mets fans hope to see what looks like a World Series-caliber ball club

A lot goes into building a World Series-caliber roster. Any sort of performance on Opening Day won’t truly let us know how far this team is capable of going. I think if we see dominance from the stars, hints of what the role-players can do, and a smooth game we’ll at least feel some early confidence. Of course, plenty of bad Mets teams have won the first game of the season in the past. We know better than to get too caught up in any Opening Day result.