Mets walk to 9-3 win over Marlins in home opener

NEW YORK – After waiting a day to get going at home, the New York Mets walked their way to a comfortable win.

Tylor Megill pitched six shutout innings, Starling Marte and Francisco Lindor hit their first home runs of the season, and the Mets beat the wild Miami Marlins 9-3 on Friday before a sellout crowd of 43,590 in their Citi Field opener.

Miami starter Edward Cabrera (0-1) walked a career-high seven in 2 2/3 innings and was pulled without giving up a hit. New York took advantage of 12 free passes from six Marlins pitchers – four drawn by leadoff batter Brandon Nimmo.

“Really impressed with the patience of our hitters,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said. “Sooner or later, we broke through.”

Pete Alonso also homered and drove in two runs for the Mets, who have won four straight home openers and eight of their last nine. They improved to 4-1 against Miami this season and rebounded from a three-game sweep in Milwaukee that completed a 3-4 trip to start the season.

“It’s nice to get that first one,” Alonso said.

In a game postponed a day because of a rainy forecast, Megill (2-0) filled in for injured ace Justin Verlander again and beat the Marlins for the second time in a week. The right-hander allowed three hits and struck out three, shaking off a line drive that nailed the front of his right foot in the fourth.

“He was solid. Had command of a lot of pitches and attacked the strike zone,” Showalter said. “Not an easy day to pitch. Windy, cold, tough to grip the baseball.”

Dennis Santana gave up a three-run homer to Garrett Cooper that trimmed it to 6-3 in the eighth.

Alonso had an RBI single in the fourth and Marte made it 4-0 with a solo homer in the sixth. New York added two runs without a hit in the seventh, and Lindor launched a two-run homer in the eighth.

Alonso followed with his third home run in two games and fourth of the season, giving the Mets back-to-back long balls for the first time this year. It was Alonso’s 150th career home run, breaking a tie with Carlos Beltran for sixth place in club history.

“Nimmo set the tone, taking quality pitches very close to the strike zone,” Lindor said, holding his young daughter in the crook of his arm as she licked chocolate ice cream off a stick. “We were ready to hit, but we were trying to get our pitch.”

WILD THING

Cabrera became the first Marlins pitcher to walk seven batters in a game since Trevor Richards in July 2018. The right-hander, who turns 25 next week, set his previous career high with six walks over four innings last Saturday against the Mets.

“Got to keep working,” Cabrera said through an interpreter. “I just have to be persistent and continue with my routine.”

SALUTE TO MURPH

The Mets honored longtime announcer Bob Murphy with a marker on the Citi Field roof between a similar one recognizing former broadcaster Ralph Kiner and the team’s retired numbers. Murphy, who died in 2004, spent 42 seasons calling Mets games from their inaugural season in 1962 until 2003. His children, Brian, Kasey and Kelly, threw out ceremonial first pitches.

NOT FORGOTTEN

Injured closer Edwin Díaz was the final Mets player introduced to the crowd during pregame ceremonies, accompanied by his popular entrance song “Narco.” With a large brace on his right leg, Díaz held crutches as he waved to cheers from the top step of the dugout. The star reliever had surgery for a torn knee tendon after getting hurt celebrating a victory with Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. He is expected to miss the entire season.

HOME SWEET HOME

New York improved to 41-21 in home openers, including 11-4 at Citi Field. … Lindor went deep twice in last year’s home opener against Arizona, and Marte also homered in that game.

WALK ON

The last time New York drew 12 walks in a nine-inning game was May 18, 1997, against Colorado.

“My job is to get on base for these big boys,” Nimmo said. “I was able to lay off some good pitches.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Marlins: CF Jazz Chisholm Jr. went 1 for 4 in the cleanup spot after leaving Wednesday’s win over Minnesota in the first inning with a stinger in his right shoulder. … LHP Steven Okert (left adductor strain) is scheduled to pitch one inning Saturday on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Jacksonville. … RHP Sixto Sánchez (shoulder), who hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2020, was set to throw live batting practice for the second time at the team’s complex in Jupiter, Florida.

Mets: Placed catcher Omar Narváez on the 10-day injured list with a strained left calf and recalled catcher Francisco Álvarez from Triple-A Syracuse.

UP NEXT

Rookie RHP Kodai Senga (1-0, 1.69 ERA) makes his home debut Saturday for the Mets against Marlins LHP Trevor Rogers (0-1, 6.23 ERA). Senga beat Rogers 5-1 on Sunday in Miami, striking out eight over 5 1/3 innings in his major league debut.

LOS ANGELES – Despite battling injuries all season, the New York Yankees are still managing to pick up victories.

With AL MVP Aaron Judge sidelined after injuring his foot on Saturday, the Yankees got strong pitching and were able to use a little bit of small ball to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-1 Sunday and take two of three games in the weekend series.

“Just a really good all-around effort. A lot of winning things were happening in that game,” manager Aaron Boone said.

New York plated runs in the seventh and eighth innings on soft-contract grounders before Anthony Volpe provided some insurance with a two-run homer in the ninth.

J.D. Martinez homered for the Dodgers, who dropped the final two games in the series.

Clay Holmes (4-2) pitched one inning to pick up the win, and Wandy Peralta got the last four outs for his fourth save.

It was a pitchers’ duel for six innings between the Yankees’ Domingo Germán and Dodgers’ Bobby Miller. The right-handers matched zeroes as the teams combined for only four hits in the first six innings.

Dodgers’ rookie Miller allowed only one hit in his six innings, becoming the first Dodgers’ pitcher since at least 1901 to allow one hit or fewer within his first three big league starts. The 24-year old right-hander struck out seven and walked two in his third start.

Germán went 6 2/3 innings and allowed one run and four hits, including Martinez’s solo shot to tie it at 1-all in the seventh. The right-hander has limited opponents to one run or fewer in four of his last six starts.

Jake Bauers – who was playing right field in place of Judge – scored the game’s first run in the seventh on Kyle Higashioka‘s broken-bat grounder to short.

Bauers got aboard with a base hit then advanced to third when Brusdar Graterol threw the ball away on Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s bunt.

After Martinez’s homer, the Yankees retook the lead in the eighth against Evan Phillips (1-1). Oswaldo Cabrera drove in Anthony Rizzo with the go-ahead run with a slow roller that second baseman Miguel Vargas could only throw to first.

“It not being hit well helps when the fielders have to move a little. That’s what you’re selling out for. Good job by the base runners there,” Boone said.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said both balls could not have been placed any better by the Yankees’ batters.

“I don’t think they had a chance on both balls. The base runners had such a good jump. They were jam shots,” Roberts said. “There were a lot of things we did as far as giving away a couple bases on the defensive side.”

Volpe had two hits after being mired in a 3-for-38 slump his last 11 games. He extended the lead by driving Caleb Ferguson’s fastball over the wall in left-center in the ninth. It was Volpe’s ninth homer, which is second among AL rookies.

“We’ve got a lot of confidence,” said Volpe after the Yankees took four of six on the road trip.

BOMBS AWAY

Martinez evened it in the bottom of the inning with a solo shot to left-center. It was his 10th homer in the last 21 games.

Martinez has 20 homers against the Yankees, his third-most against any club. He has 35 against Baltimore and 23 vs. Cleveland. He is four homers away from 300 for his career.

MILLER TIME

Miller – the 29th overall pick in the 2020 amateur draft – looked like he might have a short outing after throwing 27 pitches in the first inning. He struck out three but also walked two.

Miller retired seven straight between the third and fifth innings before Volpe lined a base hit to center field with two out in the fifth.

“It felt really good. Been working on my slider a lot lately.,” said Miller, who threw 86 pitches, including 39 sliders. “They know I have a good fastball so I have to have my other pitches working as well.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees: LHP Nestor Cortes is expected to be placed on the injured list Monday or Tuesday due to a shoulder issue. Manager Aaron Boone said Cortes has been slower to recover between starts and is likely to miss one or two starts. … LHP Carlos Rendon (left forearm strain) will face hitters on Wednesday.

Dodgers: OF Trayce Thompson was placed on the injured list with a left oblique strain. OF Johnny Deluca was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City.

UP NEXT

Yankees: Return home for six games starting Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox. RHP Clarke Schmidt (2-5, 5.01 ERA) has gone at least five innings in six of his last eight starts.

Dodgers: Hit the road starting Tuesday against Cincinnati. RHP Tony Gonsolin (3-1, 1.77 ERA) has gone 3-0 in his last four starts.