Opening Days are what they’re — only one recreation in a galaxy of 162. And but, as a result of they’re first impressions, they’ll typically even be snapshots of what’s to come back.
For instance: The Yankees and Mets went into their respective Opening Days every in search of the reply to 2 main questions. The Yankees needed to know if Austin Wells was the fitting man for the leadoff spot, and the Mets had been in search of to search out out if their three-year, $38 million gamble on Clay Holmes changing from nearer to beginning pitcher was impressed or ill-advised. One Opening Day later, the Yankees’ wager on Wells paid off massive. The Mets’ on Holmes? Not a lot.
Laborious to consider that within the 125-year fashionable historical past of the sport, there had by no means been a catcher to steer off the sport with a house run till Wells ignited Thursday’s dwelling opener in opposition to Milwaukee by taking the Brewers’ Freddy Peralta deep to open the underside of the primary. However as Yankees supervisor Aaron Boone had defined late in spring coaching: If not Wells, then who else? With Aaron Decide hitting second, the Yankees don’t want a velocity burner hitting forward of him — not that the Yankees actually have one anyway, apart from maybe Anthony Volpe who didn’t fare that nicely within the high spot final yr. Wells was a .322 on-base man final yr and brings energy to the leadoff spot.
Clay Holmes
As for David Stearns’ perception that Holmes could make a profitable transition from nearer to a beginning pitcher, nicely, preliminary outcomes — 4 2/3 innings, 5 hits, two earned runs, 4 walks, 4 strikeouts — weren’t notably encouraging. Once more, it’s just one begin, nevertheless it does say one thing concerning the Mets’ rotation — granted the damage to Sean Manaea was a major issue — that Holmes obtained the Opening Day name. After spending $765 million on Juan Soto, Stearns elected to go the quick time period thrift route when it got here to filling out his beginning rotation. His largest expenditure was three-years, $75 million to retain Manaea. After that it was two-years, $34 million for Frankie Montas to switch Luis Severino and one-year, $4.25 million on Griffin Canning as insurance coverage.
Stearns is clearly banking on a wholesome Kodai Senga and David Peterson to have a breakthrough season. However it’s important to ask: Does he actually consider a Mets rotation comprised of Manaea, Senga, Peterson, Holmes and any mixture of Tylor Megill, Montas or Canning is sweet sufficient to get the Mets to the World Sequence?
Elsewhere, Opening Day 2025 didn’t bode nicely for 2 of baseball’s already endangered managers. In Anaheim, the Angels’ Ron Washington was heartily booed by the hometown followers for summoning infielder Nicky Lopez to document the ultimate out in an 8-1 blowout loss to the White Sox (who set the foremost league document for losses final yr). The peak of embarrassment. Because it was, Lopez was the one Angels pitcher who didn’t quit a run within the recreation. And in Pittsburgh, Pirates supervisor Derek Shelton goes to have to determine a approach to win the video games Paul Skenes is pitching.
Skenes wasn’t overpowering in his debut however he pitched nicely sufficient to win. He was main 4-2 when Shelton pulled him after 94 pitches with one out within the sixth. However an ineffective Pirate bullpen blew the lead and the sport and mixed with some sloppy Pirate fielding behind Skenes earlier, it was a miserable effort throughout. In fact it took only one Opening Day to see that that is one other very dangerous Pirates staff — dangerous fielding, no bullpen. Simply Skenes — and is heading for its sixth straight dropping season below GM Ben Cherington and Shelton. When is proprietor Bob Nutting going to lastly see the sunshine and usher in a reliable administration staff to assemble a aggressive, successful staff round Skenes earlier than it’s too late.
