One Down, 161 to Go
Nice start for Megill & the Metsies...
That was fun, huh? The retooled Mets offense looked, well, retooled. Tylor Megill added to his lore as an ice-in-the-veins killer on the mound. New York’s bullpen was mostly untouchable. Clutch hitting. The works. I think we’re gonna enjoy 2022.
With all-world ace Jacob deGrom on the shelf indefinitely, Megill, 26, got the Opening Night call and ran with the opportunity, putting up five shutout innings on 68 pitches (47 strikes), allowing three hits, walking none, and struck out five Nats.
The biggest punch-out of Megill’s evening undoubtedly came in the third with the Nationals threatening and Washington’s wunderkind Juan Soto at the plate. Gas. Upstairs. Take a seat.
Statistically, Megill was dominant, tacking on 1 1/2 MPH to his average four-seam velocity (94.6 MPH in 2021, 96.1 MPH on Thursday) and garnering called strike-and-whiff rates (CSW%) of 50%, 31%, and 29% on his slider, four-seam, and changeup, respectively.
An absolutely huge step in the right direction for the young right-hander. After the win, Megill was characteristically as cool as a cucumber, brushing off most praise and keeping his focus on the next start.
“I was excited, definitely,” he told the team’s media corps in D.C. “But for the most part I felt very relaxed and ready to go. Just want to go out there and get the ball rolling for the team.”
Pete Alonso (2-for-4, run scored, HBP on the protective helmet extension across his jawline in the ninth; he’s OK, just a fat lip) had nothing but praise for the young man they warmly refer to as Big Drip.
“He was awesome. He was electric,” Alonso said. “He had a lot of poise, a lot of moxie. He pitched incredible tonight and having him set the tone like that on opening night, that was awesome. We needed that and we fed off his energy. He threw the ball extremely well.”
That energy must have been potent. The Mets’ offense appeared to be everything general manager Billy Eppler had in mind when constructing this group.
Alonso, Robinson Cano, Mark Canha, and Jeff McNeil all kicked in two hits apiece. Starling Marte, J.D. Davis, and Eduardo Escobar added basehits of their own. New York went 4-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Only nine strikeouts on the night.
We spoke during the offseason about this group being averse to striking out and ready to perform in big spots. It’s still early, but it’s all very encouraging.
The Mets’ increased their lead to 4-0 by the time Megill exited and Trevor May entered in the sixth. Juan Soto exacted his revenge after striking out earlier in the night with a mammoth shot to right off May, cutting the Nats’ deficit to 4-1. But that would be the extent of the damage.
Adam Ottavino, Seth Lugo, and Edwin Diaz kept Washington at bay for the remainder of the night, putting up three scoreless frames behind him and in the books it was put.
Back at it this evening. Max Scherzer. Apple TV+ (link to watch). LFGM.
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