WASHINGTON — One superb fill-in Tylor Megill start against the Nationals coupled with a Mets lineup that actually delivered with runners on base helped usher in the Buck Showalter era almost perfectly Thursday night.
With Megill’s fastball popping and extended innings for their lineup in vogue, the Mets rolled to a 5-1 victory at Nationals Park and continued the franchise’s Opening Day dominance. The Mets improved to 40-21 all-time in openers for a .656 winning percentage that is by far MLB’s best.
Megill got the Opening Day assignment only because Jacob deGrom hit the injured list and Max Scherzer needed an extra day for his tight hamstring. Resembling the pitcher who helped carry the Mets rotation for about a two-month stretch last season, Megill fired five shutout innings and allowed three hits with six strikeouts. The right-hander peaked at 99 mph in the first inning and kept his fastball in the 97-98 mph range for most of his outing.
“I’ll remember this one,” Megill said. “The first of many.”
Offensively, the Mets were 4-for-11 with runners in scoring position, a respectable look for a team that has struggled in that category in recent seasons.
“Up and down throughout the lineup I feel like we have a very mature approach and I feel we made excellent swing decisions,” Pete Alonso said. “We squared up the baseball a ton tonight. That was awesome and our situational hitting was excellent.”
Alonso left the game in the ninth inning after a Mason Thompson pitch grazed his shoulder and drilled the protective flap that covers his mouth. Alonso’s lip was split from the force of the impact, but he said he was fine after going through concussion protocol.
Robinson Cano, Mark Canha and Alonso each reached base three times on a night the Mets survived on two extra-base hits.
Showalter, hired in December as Mets manager, returned to the dugout in a game that counted for the first time since departing the Orioles after the 2018 season.
Megill had thrown only 68 pitches and retired eight straight batters, but was removed to begin the sixth instead of facing the top of Washington’s batting order for the third time. Trevor May entered and allowed Juan Soto’s 99th career homer, a solo blast on a 96-mph fastball that stayed over the plate.
Megill had won a battle against Soto in the third inning, striking out the slugger with runners on the corners and one out before retiring Nelson Cruz.
“He just made some quality pitches to quality hitters,” Showalter said. “You like to see guys have another little gear there.”
In the previous frame, Megill got Makiel Franco to hit into an inning-ending double play, exonerating Francisco Lindor for a throwing error.
Offensively, the Mets got rolling in the middle innings. Already ahead 2-0, they received an RBI single in the sixth from Canha, after Alonso had singled for the second time in three innings. Jeff McNeil’s two-out RBI single against Austin Voth buried the Nationals in a four-run hole. Lindor’s RBI single in the seventh, after J.D. Davis’ leadoff double, gave the Mets a 5-1 lead.
James McCann took a Patrick Corbin slider off the back off foot for a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded in the fifth to give the Mets their first run of the new season. Starling Marte’s RBI fielder’s choice extended that lead to 2-0 before reliever Victor Arano got Davis to hit into an inning-ending double play.
Cano spurred the inning with a leadoff bunt single to third base against the shift and Canha walked before McNeil’s single to center loaded the bases.
“As long as they gave me third base open I was going to try to hit it that way,” Cano said. “Once they gave me that … why not?”
Alonso got nailed at the plate attempting to score from first on Eduardo Escobar’s double for the final out of the fourth. Alonso should have easily scored, but stumbled rounding third base and then appeared to be running uphill for the final 45 feet. Alonso had reached on a two-out single against Corbin before Escobar hit a shot to the left-center gap.
“We pitched well and had some timely hitting and played pretty well in the outfield,” Showalter said.
