Here's the ball, Ace --- go get 'em

[Guest AG/DC]

I could be wrong, but I think today's happiness makes Johan Santana the first hotshot offseason acquisition Met pitcher to ever go out and get a win his first start.*

Pitcher	Season	How Acquired	Date	Opp.	Dec.	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Warren Spahn	1965	For Cash	14-Apr	Astros	ND	8	7	3	3	1	3	0	3.38
Mickey Lolich	1976	For Rusty Staub and Bill Laxton	11-Apr	Expos	L	2	3	3	1	0	2	0	4.50
Tom Seaver	1983	For Charlie Puleo, Lloyd McClendon and Jason Felice	5-Apr	Phillies	ND	6	3	0	0	1	5	0	0.00
Bret Saberhagen	1992	With Bill Pecota for Kevin McReynolds, Gregg Jefferies and Keith Miller	7-Apr	Cardinals	L	2.1	9	7	7	3	0	0	27.00
Mike Hampton	2000	With Derek Bell for Roger Cede�o, Octavio Dotel and Kyle Kessel	29-Mar	Cubs	L	5	4	2	2	9	1	0	3.60
Tom Glavine	2003	Free Agent (3 yr., $35 mil., mutual option for fourth year at $6.5 mil, $2 mil buyout)	31-Mar	Cubs	L	3.2	8	5	5	4	2	0	12.27
Pedro Martinez	2005	Free Agent (4 yr., $53 mil.)	5-Apr	Reds	ND	6	3	3	3	2	12	1	4.50
Johan Santana	2008	For Carlos Gomez, Phil Humber, Deolis Guerra, and Kevin Mulvey, plus extension for 6 yr., $132 mil., option year at $25 mil., with $5.5 mil. buyout	31-Mar	Marlins	W	7	3	2	2	2	8	1	2.57
Totals					1-4	39.3	40	25	23	22	33	2	5.26

*Frank Viola got a win, but his was a mid-season dealio.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Did Lolich get hurt in that outing? That's an awfully quick hook for 1976.

[Guest AG/DC]

I was going to gas up the WayBack and check that one myself.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I was working on my own opening-day didjaknow. Went through each opener selecting the least-likely/most insignificant/shortest-lived players to start on opening day. Then my notes vanished.

C: Tim Spehr 1998
1B: Dick Stuart 1966
2B: Ricky Gutierrez, 2004
SS: Bob Bailor, 1983
3B: Don Zimmer, 1962
LF: Angel Pagan, 2008
CF: Billy Cowan, 1965; Jerry Morales 1980; Don hahn, 1974
RF: Mike Howard 1983; Eric Valent 2005; Rod Gaspar, 1969
P: Mike Torrez, 1984; Pat Zachry, 1981

[Gwreck]

Pecota at third in '92?

[metirish]

Does Derek Bell count?

[Guest AG/DC]

Nothing wrong with Zachry in 1981. He earned it. After Torrez, the real head-scratcher is Pete Harnisch in 1997.

Besides Mike Howard, the opening day ghost in right field is 1978's Ken Henderson.

[Guest sharpie]

Jury is still out as to whether Angel Pagan belongs on that list but I grant that he is the likeliest of the current bunch.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

How convenient is this?

http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYM/opening.shtml

In left it's either Pagan (who inspired me to start looking this up the hard way), Gene Clines (1975) or maybe David Segui (1995).

Right field despite Strawberry has really become the revolving door in Metland, as pointed out during yesterday's broadcast. There's been 29 different starters there, includiong a brand new one now for 5 years running.

[Guest AG/DC]

Clines is definitely who Pagan has to beat to get off of this list.

Most consecutive years without a repeat:

p: 6, 1980-1985 (Swan, Zachry, R. Jones --- holy shit! Randy Jones! --- Seaver, Torrez, Gooden)
c: 5, 1962-1966 (Landridth, C.C. Coleman, Taylor, Cannizzaro, Grote)
1b: 6, 1962-1967 (Hodges, Harkness, D. Smith, Kranepool, Stuart, Swoboda)
2b: 7, 1962-1968 (Neal, Burright, A. Samuael, Klaus, Hunt, Buchek, Boswell)
3b: 7, 1975-1981 (Torre, Garrett, Staiger, Randle, Hebner, Maddox, Brooks)
ss: 5, 1981-1985 (Taveras, Gardenire, Bailor, Oquendo, Santana)
lf: 6, 1964-1969 (Thomas, Christopher, Swobada, T. Davis, Shamsky C. Jones)
cf: 9, 1988-1996 (Dykstra, M. Wilson, K. Miller, V. Coleman, H. Johnson, Orsulak, R. Thompson, Butler, L. Johnson)
rf: 8, 1977-1984 (Kingman, K. Henderson, Maddox, Jorgensen, M. Wilson, Youngblood, M. Howard, Strawberry)

[Guest AG/DC]

Jackie Robinson Memorial All-Out-of-Position Opening Day Team

p: Roger Craig, 1962, as he had been a swingman up until that point in his career --- long reliever and fifth starter in four-man rotations
c: Hawk Taylor, 1964 (he played one third of his games in the outfield, and had an outfielder's name)
1b: Ron Swoboda, 1967
2b: Wayne Garrett, 1970
3b: Ron Hunt, 1964 (honorable mention to Jim Fregosi, 1972-1973)
ss: Howard Johnson, 1992
lf: David Segui, 1995
cf: Maybe too many dumb ideas here in five years to single one out: K. Miller, 1990; V. Coleman, 1991; H. Johnson, 1992; Joe Orsulak, 1993; plus Cedeño, 2003. I'll elimate Johnson because he's already our shortstop and throw it to Keith Miller.
rf: M. Wilson, 1981, edges Jorgensen, 1980

[Benjamin Grimm]

I remember being very upset when Mike Torrez was given the 1984 Opening Day start. It's funny to look back and see how much I cared about such stuff when I was 21. (I thought I was grown up back then, but from my current perspective I can see I was just a kid. I wonder, when I'm in my 60's will I look back on my 40-something self the same way?)

[Guest AG/DC]

Find a 60-something and ask him if you're stupid.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I can ask my mom, but she's probably not very objective.