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HOUSTON — Juan Soto will begin his Mets tenure in the same location as he did a season ago.
Soto made a strong first impression with his new team last season, delivering a game-saving outfield assist to send the Yankees on their way toward a season-opening four-game sweep against the Astros.
The Mets would not mind a similar start to their 2025 campaign when they head to Daikin Park to face the Astros in a three-game series beginning with Opening Day at 4:10 p.m. on Thursday in Houston. Last season, they opened with five straight losses as part of a frustrating early start.
The Mets will feature a slightly new look to begin the campaign, with Soto occupying the No. 2 spot in the lineup behind Francisco Lindor and Clay Holmes on the mound for the first time as a starting pitcher since 2018.
On the other side, it won't be the exact same explosive Astros that fans are used to seeing after Kyle Tucker was traded to the Cubs and Alex Bregman signed with the Red Sox this offseason.
With the first pitch of the 2025 season just over the horizon, here are three things to watch for the Mets on Opening Day:
One of the first questions that popped up as the Mets reached spring training was how Holmes would adapt to his new role as a starting pitcher.
Holmes did not skip a beat as he joined the Mets rotation. In five Grapefruit League starts, the 31-year-old right-hander allowed two earned runs in 19⅓ innings (0.93 ERA) while striking out 23 batters. He earned his spot as the team's Opening Day starter in Houston.
"I'm excited. Opening Day is a special day," Holmes said. "It's a long offseason and this is the day you're working towards and for it to be here, it feels special. To be able to have the Mets uniform on and really compete and be on the field with the guys in this locker room is going to be special."
Holmes said that he feels in a good spot physically to handle the rigors of an unfamiliar workload. He has never thrown more than 70 innings in a major league season and must now contend with facing a lineup two or three times in a given outing.
In his final spring start, Holmes threw 88 pitches across 5⅓ innings, putting him in a good position to go deep on Thursday.
An injury on the eve of Opening Day provided a little bit more clarity about who would be in the Mets' bullpen.
There had been a competition between Max Kranick and Huascar Brazoban for the final spot, but with Paul Blackburn landing on the injured list with right knee inflammation, those two will make the team to start 2025, David Stearns told reporters on Wednesday.
There was some uncertainty surrounding A.J. Minter entering Monday, but the left-handed reliever, who underwent hip surgery last August, cleared another hurdle by pitching for the second time in three days. The 31-year-old, who signed a two-year, $22 million contract in January, came through the outing feeling good.
"I was happy with the way it responded after one day of rest," Minter told reporters on Monday. "I continued to throw strikes today and yeah, I think we finally checked that last box and hopefully show up these next few days, if nothing comes up, I think we checked all the boxes we needed to check."
After the Pete Alonso's first crack at free agency lingered close to the start of free agency, the four-time All-Star first baseman returned to the only team he has ever known.
The raucous response to Alonso's return will have to wait until the Mets' home opener against the Blue Jays on April 4 at Citi Field. But one of the most intriguing storylines of the season gets underway in Texas as Alonso begins his efforts to become the Mets' home run king.
Alonso needs 26 home runs to match Darryl Strawberry for most home runs in a Mets uniform. The accomplishment is something that Alonso thought about along the free agency journey.
"That's something I've been thinking about, to be a part of this franchise in that way, because yeah, that'd be really special." Alonso said early in spring.
The Mets first baseman hit his second home run of spring in the team's Grapefruit League finale last Monday, taking the Yankees' Marcus Stroman over the right-field fence. He slashed .255/.344/.455 with five doubles, 10 RBIs and eight runs this spring.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets Opening Day 2025: Things to watch in MLB season opener
Continue reading...
Soto made a strong first impression with his new team last season, delivering a game-saving outfield assist to send the Yankees on their way toward a season-opening four-game sweep against the Astros.
The Mets would not mind a similar start to their 2025 campaign when they head to Daikin Park to face the Astros in a three-game series beginning with Opening Day at 4:10 p.m. on Thursday in Houston. Last season, they opened with five straight losses as part of a frustrating early start.
The Mets will feature a slightly new look to begin the campaign, with Soto occupying the No. 2 spot in the lineup behind Francisco Lindor and Clay Holmes on the mound for the first time as a starting pitcher since 2018.
On the other side, it won't be the exact same explosive Astros that fans are used to seeing after Kyle Tucker was traded to the Cubs and Alex Bregman signed with the Red Sox this offseason.
With the first pitch of the 2025 season just over the horizon, here are three things to watch for the Mets on Opening Day:
Clay Holmes' first start in a Mets uniform
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One of the first questions that popped up as the Mets reached spring training was how Holmes would adapt to his new role as a starting pitcher.
Holmes did not skip a beat as he joined the Mets rotation. In five Grapefruit League starts, the 31-year-old right-hander allowed two earned runs in 19⅓ innings (0.93 ERA) while striking out 23 batters. He earned his spot as the team's Opening Day starter in Houston.
"I'm excited. Opening Day is a special day," Holmes said. "It's a long offseason and this is the day you're working towards and for it to be here, it feels special. To be able to have the Mets uniform on and really compete and be on the field with the guys in this locker room is going to be special."
Holmes said that he feels in a good spot physically to handle the rigors of an unfamiliar workload. He has never thrown more than 70 innings in a major league season and must now contend with facing a lineup two or three times in a given outing.
In his final spring start, Holmes threw 88 pitches across 5⅓ innings, putting him in a good position to go deep on Thursday.
Is A.J. Minter good to go? Who occupies the last spot?
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An injury on the eve of Opening Day provided a little bit more clarity about who would be in the Mets' bullpen.
There had been a competition between Max Kranick and Huascar Brazoban for the final spot, but with Paul Blackburn landing on the injured list with right knee inflammation, those two will make the team to start 2025, David Stearns told reporters on Wednesday.
There was some uncertainty surrounding A.J. Minter entering Monday, but the left-handed reliever, who underwent hip surgery last August, cleared another hurdle by pitching for the second time in three days. The 31-year-old, who signed a two-year, $22 million contract in January, came through the outing feeling good.
"I was happy with the way it responded after one day of rest," Minter told reporters on Monday. "I continued to throw strikes today and yeah, I think we finally checked that last box and hopefully show up these next few days, if nothing comes up, I think we checked all the boxes we needed to check."
Pete Alonso returns for Mets' home run quest
You must be registered for see images
After the Pete Alonso's first crack at free agency lingered close to the start of free agency, the four-time All-Star first baseman returned to the only team he has ever known.
The raucous response to Alonso's return will have to wait until the Mets' home opener against the Blue Jays on April 4 at Citi Field. But one of the most intriguing storylines of the season gets underway in Texas as Alonso begins his efforts to become the Mets' home run king.
Alonso needs 26 home runs to match Darryl Strawberry for most home runs in a Mets uniform. The accomplishment is something that Alonso thought about along the free agency journey.
"That's something I've been thinking about, to be a part of this franchise in that way, because yeah, that'd be really special." Alonso said early in spring.
The Mets first baseman hit his second home run of spring in the team's Grapefruit League finale last Monday, taking the Yankees' Marcus Stroman over the right-field fence. He slashed .255/.344/.455 with five doubles, 10 RBIs and eight runs this spring.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets Opening Day 2025: Things to watch in MLB season opener
Continue reading...
