It was largely a successful first weekend of the 2026 MLB season for the New York Mets.

The new-look team took two out of three from the Pirates. A 4-3 loss in extra innings on Sunday was the only real negative to emerge from the first series of the year.

Two of the three games went to extra innings, and there were a lot of positives to focus on. Of course, you have to be careful not to overreact to anything, good or bad, this early in the season.

On that note, we’re going to do our best to try to take our own advice in the first 3 Up, 3 Down of the 2026 regular season!

Mar 28, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets center fielder Luis Robert Jr. (88) reacts to hitting a three run walk off home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the eleventh inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

3 UP
STELLAR FIRST IMPRESSION

Talk about making an impact early. Luis Robert Jr. absolutely excelled in his first three games in a Mets uniform, providing a tantalizing preview of what could be to come. The outfielder was seen as a wild card following his trade from the White Sox. He has always had boatloads of talent, but he was coming off two poor years ravaged by injuries. However, he flashed that high ceiling throughout the series against the Pirates. He executed a 10-pitch walk that led to an offensive outburst on Opening Day. He hit a walk-off three-run homer on Saturday.

And he enjoyed another strong day at the plate on Sunday with two hits. In total, Robert Jr. finished the weekend 5-for-11 with three walks and five RBIs. While it is early, this version of the center fielder could prove to be a pivotal factor in helping the Mets accomplish their desired goals in 2026.

WE HAVE LIFT-OFF!

Carson Benge made the Opening Day roster after a strong spring, and he had an MLB debut to remember. The rookie blasted his first career home run in the big leagues on Thursday, drawing thunderous cheers from those inside Citi Field. It was a special moment for Benge, who also drew two walks and stole a base in his first taste of the big time. Granted, the rest of the weekend didn’t go quite as well with Benge striking out five times in total. However, every rookie will experience ups and downs early on in their career. That’s just a fact. And we saw enough on Opening Day to feel confident that Benge will be able to work through any growing pains.

GUTTING IT OUT

Gritty would be the word best used to describe the Mets’ pitching over the weekend. It wasn’t always pretty, but both the rotation and the bullpen got the job done. For the most part, anyway. Freddy Peralta gave up a couple of home runs but still got the win. David Peterson was more than solid on Saturday with 5.1 scoreless innings. And Nolan McLean faced a lot of traffic but was able to get through his first start of the season with only two runs allowed. As for the bullpen, both Luke Weaver and Devin Williams tossed scoreless innings in their Mets debuts. Weaver also didn’t allow a run to score on Sunday. Brooks Raley struck out two in a perfect inning on Saturday.

Sean Manaea also didn’t give up a run across 1.1 innings in his first outing out of the bullpen on Sunday. And Tobias Myers gave the Mets three innings of solid long relief with just one run allowed on Opening Day. All in all, while the pitching wasn’t always dominant or easy, the starters and relievers combined to do what was asked of them throughout the weekend.

Bo Bichette Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

3 DOWN
SWINGING AND MISSING

The lineup was relentless on Opening Day, emphasizing patience and elite contact. However, that approach went missing for the rest of the weekend. The offense struck out eight times on Saturday and a gaudy 16 times in the finale. Between the final two games, the lineup went a combined 5-for-24 with runners in scoring position. Over that span, there were 24 strikeouts and 17 runners left on base. Furthermore, the Mets scored just seven runs over the final 21 innings of the series. That just isn’t going to get it done. Granted, we’re just three games into the season, and there were some good moments too. However, with that said, this lineup was constructed to avoid the issues that proved to be fatal flaws throughout the 2025 season. There were just too many swings and misses, and that can’t become a habit.

UBER-AGGRESSIVE

You could make a compelling argument that the Mets could have swept the opening series were it not for one big mistake in the finale. In the bottom of the 10th with two runners on and nobody out, Juan Soto hit an RBI double to make it a one-run game. However, third base coach Tim Leiper gave the send signal to Francisco Lindor, who was tagged at the plate. It was way too aggressive a send. Plus, Lindor got wiped out in the process and was probably lucky to emerge unscathed. The decision ended the threat and, ultimately, led to the Pirates taking the finale.

BOO-OFF

Now, I’m going to preface what I’m about to say by admitting that fans are entitled to their opinions, especially if they pay a lot of money to go to games. However, booing a player in the third game of the season just isn’t the way to go. Yes, Bo Bichette had an ugly day at the plate on Sunday, finishing 0-for-5 with three strikeouts. Across the weekend, he went a combined 1-for-15 with eight strikeouts. He also left five runners stranded in scoring position over the final two games. But, despite that, it is just unwise to boo a player three games in. It doesn’t help anybody, least of all Bichette, who is still adjusting to a new team and a new city. He deserves credit for handling the whole situation in a mature and classy way, but he shouldn’t have been put in that position to begin with.

There is no doubt that Bichette will get going offensively soon enough. With that said, I’m just shocked he had to deal with boos in the first place. It is way too early, and that’s hardly going to help a new player settle in any quicker. Rant over.