THE 5 MOST MEMORABLE METS OPENERS

1. April 9, 1985: Gary Carter’s debut with the Mets couldn’t have been better scripted. The All-Star catcher smashed a gameending homer (above) against the Cardinals’ Neil Allen in the 10th inning to give the Mets a 6-5 victory at Shea Stadium. Carter had arrived in a winter trade with the Expos for Hubie Brooks, Mike Fitzgerald, Herm Winningham and Floyd Youmans. 2. April 4, 1994: Tuffy Rhodes, a light-hitting outfielder who finished with 13 career homers, went deep three times against Dwight Gooden, but the Mets had their own power display in a 12-8 victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Jose Vizcaino, Todd Hundley and Jeff Kent all homered for the Mets, who totaled 16 hits. 3. March 31, 1998: Alberto Castillo’s pinch-hit RBI single in the 14th inning gave the Mets a 1-0 victory over the Phillies at Shea Stadium. Temperature at first pitch was 82 degrees, and Curt Schilling brought additional heat, striking out nine in eight innings for the Phillies. The Mets received six shutout innings from Bobby Jones. 4. April 8, 1975: Joe Torre’s RBI single in the ninth inning beat Steve Carlton, 2-1, in a battle between Hall of Fame pitchers at Shea Stadium. Tom Seaver allowed one run in the completegame victory over the Phillies. Dave Kingman homered against Carlton for the Mets’ other run. 5. April 11, 1962: In their inaugural opener, the Mets lost 11-4 to the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, foreshadowing a season of despair. The Mets, under manager Casey Stengel, set a major league record with 120 losses.