List of New York Mets Opening Day starting pitchers

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Johan Santana, the 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012 Opening Day starter

The New York Mets are a Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise based in Flushing, Queens, in New York City. They play in the National League East division. The first game of the new baseball season for a team is played on Opening Day, and being named the Opening Day starter is an honor, which is given to the player who is expected to lead the pitching staff that season.[1] The New York Mets have used 20 different Opening Day starting pitchers in their 50 seasons. The 20 starters have a combined Opening Day record of 26 wins, 12 losses (25–11) and 12 no decisions. No decisions are only awarded to the starting pitcher if the game is won or lost after the starting pitcher has left the game.

Tom Seaver holds the Mets' record for most Opening Day starts with 11, and has an Opening Day record of 6–0. He also has the most starts in Shea Stadium, the Mets' home ballpark from 1964 through 2008. Dwight Gooden holds the Mets' record for most Opening Day wins with seven Opening Day wins against one Opening Day loss. Al Jackson and Roger Craig share the worst winning percentage as the Opening Day starting pitcher with a record of 0–2.

From 1968 through 1983, Mets' Opening Day starting pitchers went 16 consecutive years without a loss. During this period, Tom Seaver won six starts with five no decisions, Craig Swan won two starts, and Jerry Koosman, Pat Zachry and Randy Jones won one start apiece. Furthermore, in the 31-year period from 1968 through 1998, Mets' Opening Day starting pitchers only lost two games. During that period, they won 19 games with 10 no decisions. The only losses during this period were by Mike Torrez in 1984 and by Dwight Gooden in 1990.

Overall, Mets Opening Day starting pitchers have a record of 0–1 at the Polo Grounds, a 13–5 record with four no decisions at Shea Stadium and a 1–0 record at Citi Field. In addition, although the Mets were nominally the home team in 2000, the game was played in Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.[2] Mike Hampton started the game in Tokyo and lost, making the Mets' Opening Day starting pitchers' combined home record 14–7, and their away record 12–5. The Mets went on to play in the World Series in 1969, 1973, 1986 and 2000, and won the 1969 and 1986 World Series championship games. Tom Seaver (1969 and 1973), Dwight Gooden (1986) and Mike Hampton (2000) were the Opening Day starting pitchers when the Mets played in the World Series, and they had a combined Opening Day record of 2–1.

Key [edit]

Shea Stadium, site of 22 Opening Day starts by New York Mets pitchers
Season Each year is linked to an article about that particular Mets season.
W Win
L Loss
ND (W) No decision by starting pitcher; Mets won game
ND (L) No decision by starting pitcher; Mets lost game
Location Stadium in italics for home game
Pitcher (#) Number of appearances as Opening Day starter with the Mets
* Advanced to the post-season
** NL Champions
† World Series Champions

Pitchers [edit]

Pedro Martínez, the 2005 Opening Day starter
Season Pitcher Decision Opponent Location Ref(s)
1962 Craig, RogerRoger Craig L St. Louis Cardinals Sportsman's Park [3]
1963 Craig, RogerRoger Craig (2) L St. Louis Cardinals Polo Grounds [4][5]
1964 Jackson, AlAl Jackson L Philadelphia Phillies Connie Mack Stadium [6]
1965 Jackson, AlAl Jackson (2) L Los Angeles Dodgers Shea Stadium [4][7]
1966 Fisher, JackJack Fisher L Atlanta Braves Shea Stadium [4][8][9]
1967 Cardwell, DonDon Cardwell L Pittsburgh Pirates Shea Stadium [4][10]
1968 Seaver, TomTom Seaver ND (L) San Francisco Giants Candlestick Park [11]
1969† Seaver, TomTom Seaver (2) ND (L) Montreal Expos Shea Stadium [4][8][12]
1970 Seaver, TomTom Seaver (3) ND (W) Pittsburgh Pirates Forbes Field [13]
1971 Seaver, TomTom Seaver (4) W Montreal Expos Shea Stadium [4][8][14]
1972 Seaver, TomTom Seaver (5) W Pittsburgh Pirates Shea Stadium [4][8][15]
1973** Seaver, TomTom Seaver (6) W Philadelphia Phillies Shea Stadium [4][8][16]
1974 Seaver, TomTom Seaver (7) ND (L) Philadelphia Phillies Veterans Stadium [17]
1975 Seaver, TomTom Seaver (8) W Philadelphia Phillies Shea Stadium [4][8][18]
1976 Seaver, TomTom Seaver (9) W Montreal Expos Jarry Park Stadium [19]
1977 Seaver, TomTom Seaver (10) W Chicago Cubs Wrigley Field [20]
1978 Koosman, JerryJerry Koosman W Montreal Expos Shea Stadium [4][21]
1979 Swan, CraigCraig Swan W Chicago Cubs Wrigley Field [22]
1980 Swan, CraigCraig Swan (2) W Chicago Cubs Shea Stadium [4][23]
1981 Zachry, PatPat Zachry W Chicago Cubs Wrigley Field [24]
1982 Jones, RandyRandy Jones W Philadelphia Phillies Veterans Stadium [25]
1983 Seaver, TomTom Seaver (11) ND (W) Philadelphia Phillies Shea Stadium [4][8][26]
1984 Torrez, MikeMike Torrez L Cincinnati Reds Riverfront Stadium [27]
1985 Gooden, DwightDwight Gooden W St. Louis Cardinals Shea Stadium [28]
1986† Gooden, DwightDwight Gooden (2) W Pittsburgh Pirates Three Rivers Stadium [29]
1987 Ojeda, BobbyBobby Ojeda W Pittsburgh Pirates Shea Stadium [4][8][30][31]
1988* Gooden, DwightDwight Gooden (3) W Montreal Expos Olympic Stadium [32][33]
1989 Gooden, DwightDwight Gooden (4) W St. Louis Cardinals Shea Stadium [4][34][35]
1990 Gooden, DwightDwight Gooden (5) L Pittsburgh Pirates Shea Stadium [4][8][36][37]
1991 Gooden, DwightDwight Gooden (6) W Philadelphia Phillies Shea Stadium [4][38][39]
1992 Cone, DavidDavid Cone ND (W) St. Louis Cardinals Busch Memorial Stadium [40][41]
1993 Gooden, DwightDwight Gooden (7) W Colorado Rockies Shea Stadium [4][8][42][43]
1994 Gooden, DwightDwight Gooden (8) W Chicago Cubs Wrigley Field [4][44][45]
1995 Jones, BobbyBobby Jones ND (L) Colorado Rockies Coors Field [4][46][47]
1996 Jones, BobbyBobby Jones (2) ND (W) St. Louis Cardinals Shea Stadium [4][8][48][49]
1997 Harnisch, PetePete Harnisch ND (L) San Diego Padres Qualcomm Stadium [50][51]
1998 Jones, BobbyBobby Jones (3) ND (W) Philadelphia Phillies Shea Stadium [4][8][52][53]
1999* Leiter, AlAl Leiter L Florida Marlins Dolphin Stadium [54][55]
2000** Hampton, MikeMike Hampton L Chicago Cubs Tokyo Dome [2][4][56]
2001 Leiter, AlAl Leiter (2) ND (W) Atlanta Braves Turner Field [57][58]
2002 Leiter, AlAl Leiter (3) W Pittsburgh Pirates Shea Stadium [4][59][60]
2003 Glavine, TomTom Glavine L Chicago Cubs Shea Stadium [4][8][61][62]
2004 Glavine, TomTom Glavine (2) W Atlanta Braves Turner Field [63][64]
2005 Martinez, PedroPedro Martinez ND (L) Cincinnati Reds Great American Ballpark [65][66]
2006* Glavine, TomTom Glavine (3) W Washington Nationals Shea Stadium [4][67][68]
2007 Glavine, TomTom Glavine (4) W St. Louis Cardinals Busch Stadium [69][70]
2008 Santana, JohanJohan Santana W Florida Marlins Dolphin Stadium [71][72]
2009 Santana, JohanJohan Santana (2) W Cincinnati Reds Great American Ballpark [73]
2010 Santana, JohanJohan Santana (3) W Florida Marlins Citi Field [74]
2011 Pelfrey, MikeMike Pelfrey L Florida Marlins Dolphin Stadium [75]
2012 Santana, JohanJohan Santana (4) ND (W) Atlanta Braves Citi Field [76]
2013 Niese, JonJon Niese W San Diego Padres Citi Field [77]

References [edit]

General
Specific
  1. ^ Bastian, Jordan (March 22, 2010). "Marcum tapped for Jays' Opening Day". MLB.com. Retrieved September 26, 2010. 
  2. ^ a b "Box Score Mets vs. Cubs March 29, 2000". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-09-20. 
  3. ^ "Opening Day 1962". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y "New York Mets Opening Day History". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 2008-09-07. 
  5. ^ "Opening Day 1963". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  6. ^ "Opening Day 1964". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  7. ^ "Opening Day 1965". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Noble, Marty (2008-04-03). "Shea sees its share of Amazin' openers". mlb.com. Retrieved 2008-09-20. 
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  10. ^ "Opening Day 1967". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  11. ^ "Opening Day 1968". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  12. ^ "Opening Day 1969". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  13. ^ "Opening Day 1970". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  14. ^ "Opening Day 1971". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  15. ^ "Opening Day 1972". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  16. ^ "Opening Day 1973". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  17. ^ "Opening Day 1974". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  18. ^ "Opening Day 1975". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  19. ^ "Opening Day 1976". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  20. ^ "Opening Day 1977". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
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  22. ^ "Opening Day 1979". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  23. ^ "Opening Day 1980". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
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  25. ^ "Opening Day 1982". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  26. ^ "Opening Day 1983". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  27. ^ "Opening Day 1984". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  28. ^ "Opening Day 1985". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  29. ^ "Opening Day 1986". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  30. ^ Durso, Joseph (1987-04-06). "Unflappable Ojeda accepts new role for season opener". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-20. 
  31. ^ "Opening Day 1987". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  32. ^ Berkow, Ira (1988-04-05). "Nouvelle Doc on Opening Day". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-20. 
  33. ^ "Opening Day 1988". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  34. ^ Durso, Joseph (1989-04-04). "Bands March, Flags Fly and the Mets Beat the Cards". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-20. 
  35. ^ "Opening Day 1989". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  36. ^ Smith, Claire (1990-04-10). "Rocky Start for Gooden With Signs for Hope". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-20. 
  37. ^ "Opening Day 1990". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  38. ^ Sexton, Joe (1991-04-09). "Gooden Leaves His Stamp on the Phillies". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-20. 
  39. ^ "Opening Day 1991". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  40. ^ Sexton, Joe (1992-04-06). "Mets Defense: Armed and Precarious". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-20. 
  41. ^ "Opening Day 1992". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  42. ^ Sexton, Joe (1993-04-06). "For Openers, Gooden and Key Close Down the Batters". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-20. 
  43. ^ "Opening Day 1993". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  44. ^ Frey, Jennifer (1994-04-05). "It's a Grand Day for the Yankees and a Windy One for the Mets". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-20. 
  45. ^ "Opening Day 1994". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  46. ^ Frey, Jennifer (1995-04-27). "This One Has It All, Except Met Victory". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-20. 
  47. ^ "Opening Day 1995". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  48. ^ Willis, George (1996-04-02). "Determined Mets Climb Out of a 6-0 Hole to Top Cards". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-20. 
  49. ^ "Opening Day 1996". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  50. ^ Olney, Buster (1997-04-02). "For Openers, Padres' Big-Bang Theory Subdues the Mets". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-20. 
  51. ^ "Opening Day 1997". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  52. ^ Diamos, Jason (1998-04-01). "It's A Midsummer Classic in March as Mets Nip Phillies". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-20. 
  53. ^ "Opening Day 1998". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  54. ^ Diamos, Jason (1999-04-06). "It's New Day, But the Mets Are Stranded AT the Gate". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-20. 
  55. ^ "Opening Day 1999". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  56. ^ Vescey, George (2000-03-30). "Mets' Start Is Finally Here, Although It's Over There". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-20. 
  57. ^ Kepner, Tyler (2001-04-04). "Playoffs Start Early for Mets and the Braves". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-20. 
  58. ^ "Opening Day 2001". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  59. ^ Hermoso, Rafael (2002-04-02). "Leiter Looks Like the Ace The Mets Need This Season". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-20. 
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  61. ^ Hermoso, Rafael (2003-04-01). "Mets' Chance at Fresh Start Quickly Turns Into 'Disaster'". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-20. 
  62. ^ "Opening Day 2003". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  63. ^ Jenkins, Lee (2004-04-07). "Smashing Start For Mets Begins On the First Pitch". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-20. 
  64. ^ "Opening Day 2004". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  65. ^ Noble, Marty (2005-04-04). "Despite loss, new Mets impress". mlb.com. Retrieved 2008-09-20. 
  66. ^ "Opening Day 2005". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  67. ^ Noble, Marty (2006-04-03). "Nady, Glavine star for Mets in opener". mlb.com. Retrieved 2008-09-20. 
  68. ^ "Opening Day 2006". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  69. ^ Borzi, Pat (2007-04-02). "For Starters, Sturdy Effort and Victory for Glavine". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-20. 
  70. ^ "Opening Day 2007". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
  71. ^ Shpigel, Ben (2008-04-01). "Santana's Start Helps Mets Forget Finish". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-20. 
  72. ^ "Opening Day 2008". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2008-11-26. 
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  74. ^ "NY Mets 7, Florida 1". Yahoo!. Retrieved 2009-04-06. 
  75. ^ "NY Mets 7, Florida 1". Yahoo!. Retrieved 2009-04-06. 
  76. ^ "NY Mets 1, Atlanta 0". Yahoo!. Retrieved 2012-05-28. 
  77. ^ "NY Mets 11, San Diego 2". Yahoo!. Retrieved 2013-04-07. 
Major League Baseball Opening Day starting pitchers by team
American League
East

Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees
Tampa Bay Rays
Toronto Blue Jays

 Central Division

Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers
Kansas City Royals
Minnesota Twins

 West Division

Houston Astros
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Oakland Athletics
Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers
National League
East Division

Atlanta Braves
Miami Marlins
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
Washington Nationals

 Central Division

Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Milwaukee Brewers
Pittsburgh Pirates
St. Louis Cardinals

 West Division

Arizona Diamondbacks
Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Padres
San Francisco Giants
Relocated teams
Boston and Milwaukee Braves · Brooklyn Dodgers · Montreal Expos · New York Giants · Philadelphia and Kansas City Athletics · St. Louis Browns · Washington Senators
Defunct teams
Baltimore Orioles (19th century) · Cleveland Spiders · Detroit Wolverines · Louisville Colonels · Providence Grays
Franchise
Ballparks
Culture and lore
Key personnel
Rivalries
Retired numbers
World Series championships
National League pennants
Other titles
Eastern Division
1969
1973
1986
1988
2006
Wild Card
1999
tie-breaker game
2000
Minor league affliates
New York Mets Opening Day starting pitchers
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