Seaver walked over to where Mike Piazza was having a catch with Jason Phillips, the man who would replace Piazza as the Mets’ primary everyday catcher now that Piazza had started taking ground balls at first. Piazza’s face lit up. “Franchise!” he said.

Good pitching doesn't always matter against a star like Soto. “That’s pretty incredible,” manager Carlos Mendoza marveled.

Optimism often pervades Citi Field during the home opener, only for it to dissipate into the atmosphere by the second half of the season. That was certainly not the case in a thrilling 2024 MLB campaign,