Opening Day marks new era for Mets on and off the field

By Jacob Kaye

New York Mets fans got their first glimpse of a new era Thursday as a reshaped team took the field on Opening Day and as early construction work on Steve Cohen’s casino project came into view outside Citi Field.

Signs of the offseason changes were obvious on Thursday as the Mets kicked off their 2026 campaign.

Between the foul lines, the Mets’ 11-7 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates was anchored by a strong start by newly acquired ace Freddy Peralta, who threw five innings, giving up four runs while picking up seven strikeouts. The Mets’ first run came on a sacrifice fly by Bo Bichette, the club’s biggest free agent signing of the offseason.

While an Opening Day victory in Flushing is not unusual – the Mets have the best game one record in the history of baseball – the way they won was a welcome change from last year, when they finished the season 83-79, missing the playoffs by a single game. Mets hitters on Thursday capitalized with runners on base, stringing together good at bats to pick up five runs in the first inning. They put together another relentless inning in the fifth, picking up three runs to put the game out of reach for the Pirates.

Beyond Peralta and Bichette, the Mets saw contributions from new additions Luis Robert Jr., Jorge Polanco and Marcus Semien, all of whom picked up at least one RBI. And Carson Benge, the Mets’ 23-year-old rookie phenom, smashed the first homer of his career in the sixth inning, igniting hopes that the homegrown talent would soon bud into a major league superstar.

A new future was also brewing outside Citi Field.

The farthest reaches of the stadium’s parking lot were cordoned off as a small number of workers continued with their pre-construction work on the site that will one day sit beneath Metropolitan Park, an $8 billion casino and entertainment complex expected to open in 2030.

In December, Cohen and Hard Rock won a coveted state license to build the casino in the corner of Northeast Queens. Work on Metropolitan Park, which will include a new hotel, a live music venue, a food hall, and open space scattered throughout, began almost immediately.

Some tailgaters on Thursday wandered up to the construction site hoping to get a peek.

Greg Colleluori and Joe Giannotti, two cousins from Long Island who have been trekking to Queens to catch Mets games for nearly 60 years, tugged at a door at the construction site only to find it locked.

The pair arrived earlier than they otherwise would have out of fear that work on Metropolitan Park would make driving to the stadium more difficult. But they were pleasantly surprised to find that they got in with relative ease.

Colleluori and Giannotti said they were as hopeful for the future of the organization as they’d ever been, including when they were teenagers, getting dropped off at Shea Stadium on Sunday mornings to catch a doubleheader.

“We’ve come a long way,” Colleluori said.

Nearby, Brian Skolar and Dale Heyward grilled clams in the parking lot, no more than 60 feet six inches from the construction site.

They said they were looking forward to Metropolitan Park but wouldn’t be ready to embrace it until it opens.

“It’s not there yet, I can’t win any money,” Skolar said. “I’ve got to deal with the headaches first.”

Some fans were outright opposed to the massive project, which will be one of two casinos operating in the World’s Borough when it opens.

Before the start of Thursday’s game, a group of around a dozen protesters marched around the stadium, decrying Cohen’s casino. Some fans celebrating Opening Day nodded in support or joined the chants. Others jeered.

Jack Hu, who helped organize the protest, said that he was concerned the casino would have damaging effects on nearby Flushing and Corona and wondered if more fans would join him if given a chance to speak with the protestors, most of whom live near the stadium.

“I come from a household that has suffered through the addictions of gambling, and so we know that this is going to destroy our community,” he said. “I think if we just were able to sit down and have a conversation with those fans, I’m sure they would take our side.”

While most fans who spoke with the Eagle said they welcomed the casino, they were already grieving the loss of the parking lot, where many have camped out before games for years.

Stephanie L., who declined to share her last name out of fear her employer would learn she wasn’t sick but instead at a baseball game, said she’d struggle to afford replacing her tailgate with a trip to a Metropolitan Park restaurant or bar.

“That’s not ideal for everyone,” she said. “Unfortunately, not everybody is a billionaire, Steve.”

Eric Finkelstein was less concerned about the economics and more about the sentimental. Every year, he takes a photo with his wife and sons near the plaque commemorating the spot where Shea’s home plate once sat. He said he’s unsure if it will be there when the whole area is transformed.

“It almost sounds silly, but I hope they somehow preserve where the Shea Stadium home plate is,” he said. “I understand there will probably be construction here next year, maybe the year after, but I hope that doesn’t change.”