Opening Day got off to a wild start in New York as the Mets hosted the Pittsburgh Pirates for the first game of the Thursday slate. Star pitcher Paul Skenes did not even last one inning as the Mets rocked him early, scoring five runs off of two major mistakes from center fielder Oneil Cruz.
Skenes not lasting one inning is a major shock, as he is without a doubt one of the best pitchers in the sport. The Mets' lineup is deep, and they attacked him right off the bat. However, a majority of that damage could have been avoided if Cruz had better awareness in center field. On one play with the bases loaded, he misjudged the speed of the ball off the bat and charged in for it when it should have started back. The ball would then fly way over his head to score three runs. Brett Baty tripled because the ball never hit Cruz's glove. Right after that, Marcus Semien popped up, and Cruz had an easy catch but lost the ball in the sun, scoring another run. Again, the ball did not hit the glove, so Semien was awarded a double for his hustle.
ONeil Cruz with two of the worst plays you'll see from a center fielder on back-to-back pitchers
Horrendous start to the season pic.twitter.com/Fjbt2LwSYh
— Baseball Quotes (@BaseballQuotes1) March 26, 2026
Social media is letting Cruz have it, and 76ers star Joel Embiid is one of them.
Cruz, get ready to learn DH buddy!!
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) March 26, 2026
I don’t mean to overreact, but I am over the Oneil Cruz experiment in CF. pic.twitter.com/6PQEkJsjjX
— SleeperPirates (@SleeperPirates) March 26, 2026
Oneil Cruz with two of the worst center field plays you'll see in a big league game
…in the first inning of the first game of the year pic.twitter.com/kaBWNd58a3
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) March 26, 2026
Paul Skenes turning around to see the ball heading towards Oneil Cruz pic.twitter.com/SSuVIDRHUH
— MLB Deadline News (@MLBDeadlineNews) March 26, 2026
A disaster sequence (consecutive plays) for Pirates CF Oneil Cruz in the first inning vs the Mets.
It played into Paul Skenes getting pulled in the first inning after 37 pitches.
NBC'S Matt Vasgersian: "A NIGHTMARISH START FOR ONEIL CRUZ ON OPENING DAY! OH NO!" ⚾️😬🎙️ #MLB pic.twitter.com/z73ZmtNWJi
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 26, 2026
The good news for the Pirates is that newly signed second baseman Brandon Lowe has two home runs in two at-bats. He smashed one on the first pitch he saw as a pirate and quickly did it again in his next AB. Lowe has a chance to lead all second basemen in home runs this season.
The Mets currently lead 5-3 in the 4th inning.
