The starting pitching matchup tonight was a potent reminder of the road not taken. In the offseason, the Mets made it clear that their top free agent target was Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and they made every effort to convince him to come to New York. Alas, the allure of teaming up with Shohei Ohtani for the powerhouse Dodgers proved too alluring, and David Stearns and company were forced to pivot to a cheaper option in the form of Sean Manaea. The expectations for the Mets wouldn’t have been as sky-high as the Dodgers even if they had managed to sign Yamamoto, but lacking that big-ticket offseason acquisition certainly played a role in the relative pessimism surrounding the team heading into the year.
Mets strike early against Yamamoto, outlast Dodgers for 9-4 win
