The kind of relentless offensive attack that the Mets had dreamed about and a Pirates defensive effort that sure looked like a waking nightmare co-conspired for a stunning scene in the bottom of the first inning during Thursday’s Opening Day.
Paul Skenes, the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, was chased off the mound and could not complete one inning at a joyous Citi Field.
When the damage was all done — which included four Mets hits, one hit batter, two walks and two misplays from center fielder Oneil Cruz — the Mets were ahead, 5-2, and no longer had to deal with perhaps the game’s best pitcher.
First, the encouraging from the Mets, who overhauled their offense during the offseason and hoped to assemble a group that would prove both powerful and pesky — which, in one frame, the unit sure looked to be.
Francisco Lindor worked a full-count walk before Juan Soto dropped a single into right-center.
Bo Bichette — whose ability to make consistent contact made him particularly appealing in free agency — did his job and got under an 0-2 pitch that he lofted for a sacrifice fly.
Jorge Polanco reached on a swinging bunt before Luis Robert Jr. — who was not known for his tenacity with the White Sox — fouled off five pitches in a plate appearance that ended in a 10-pitch walk to load the bases.
And then the discouraging from the Pirates.
Brett Baty sent a fairly deep drive to center field, where Cruz charged for several steps before beginning a retreat that was too late, the ball sailing over his head for what would be ruled as a bases-clearing triple.
One pitch later, Marcus Semien sent what might have been a sacrifice fly to Cruz, but the former shortstop could not locate the ball in the sun, and it dropped beside him for an RBI double.
After Carson Benge struck out in his first major league at-bat, Skenes nicked Francisco Alvarez with a sinker that prompted Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly to pull Skenes following 37 pitches in what was easily the briefest outing of his career.
