Brandon Nimmo drove in three runs, leading the New York Mets to a 5-3 Opening Day victory over the host Miami Marlins on Thursday.
Nimmo lined a sacrifice fly for the Mets first run of the season in the third and delivered a go-ahead two-run double in the seventh as the Mets improved their major league-best Opening Day record to 41-21.
David Robertson, making his Mets debut, earned the save with a scoreless ninth. Robertson’s save came after the Mets lost closer Edwin Diaz to a knee injury during the World Baseball Classic earlier this month.
Max Scherzer (1-0) did not give up a run before entering the sixth. He allowed three runs on four hits with two walks in six innings.
Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, was left with a no-decision, allowing three runs (two earned on three hits with four walks and two strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.
Miami’s Garrett Cooper hit a two-run homer off Scherzer and made two stellar catches at first base, including one that saved a run.
Luis Arraez made his Marlins debut after winning the 2022 American League batting title with the Minnesota Twins. He went 2-for-3 with an RBI double.
New York opened the scoring in the third as Daniel Vogelbach led off with a four-pitch walk, advanced to third on Omar Narvaez’s single to right field and raced home on Nimmo’s line-drive sacrifice fly to left.
The Mets threatened in the fourth as Starling Marte drew a full-count walk and stole second. He was stranded when Jeff McNeil’s liner down the first-base line was turned into an inning-ending out after Cooper’s diving catch.
New York stretched its lead to 3-0 in the sixth. Nimmo drew a four-pitch walk, advanced to third on Marte’s single and scored on Francisco Lindor’s sacrifice fly to deep center. McNeil’s two-out RBI single capped the rally.
Miami tied the score 3-3 in the sixth. Jacob Stallings doubled and scored on Arraez’s RBI double. On an 0-1 fastball, Cooper slugged a 422-foot homer to center.
New York took a 5-3 lead in the seventh off reliever Tanner Scott (0-1). With one out, Eduardo Escobar singled and Narvaez walked before Nimmo’s two-run double to center.
–Field Level Media