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That beautiful video led me to check out a thought.
Joe Torre debuted (if I did my math right) May 31, 1977. He wins his first game, 6-2, at home behind the arm of Craig Swan. (Interestingly, only 6,505 faithful show for the occasion, a day after 41,033 spun the turnstiles to see the curtain fall on the Frazier era with a doubleheader sweep by those same Expos.
In 1978, the Mets open with a 3-1 win over those 'Pos, with Jerry Koosman out-dueling Steve J. Rogers in Flushing
In 1979, it's a rare opening day slugfest, taking a 10-6 tilt over Rick Reuschel and the host Cubs. Swannie gets the win again.
In 1980, Swannie gives it Reuschel again, this time back at Shea, 5-2.
In 1981, the return to Wrigley, and stick it to Reuschel for a third straight year, Zachry besting him 2-0.
But there were two opening days in 1981, and on August 10, Torre's Mets came back to work and headed to (you guessed it) Chicago, where they took the Cubs, 7-5. Mike Scott started against Mike Krukow, but they were both long gone when Greg Harris earned his first save in the 13th.
You want baseball like it oughta be? The Mets score three in the eleventh (three run homer by Kong), but the Cubs come back and tie it. The Mets score one more in the twelfth, but the Cubs come back and tie it. The Met score two more in the 13th, and finally Harris closes it out, but not without two guys reaching base and Greg being forced to retire Leon Durham, Bobby Bonds, and Ken Reitz. A lot of power.
Torre was fired at the end of the 1981 season, but a 5-0 record debuts tells me he deserves a title like Mr. Opening Day.
Did the magic continue? Well, with the Braves in 1982, he stretched it to 6-0, as Rick Mahler out-twirled the Padres' Juan Eichelberger 1-0 (which should be the score of every opening day, as it's already the score of every World Cup kickoff match).
It wasn't until 1983 that he coughed up an opener, as Steve Bedrosian gave up a go-ahead eighth inning RBI singel to the Reds Davey Concepcion. That was it.
But with the Mets? Still undefeated.
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