The 3 best Mets pitchers to never start for the team on Opening Day

Opening Day is quite an honor for any pitcher. Sometimes teams start pitchers on opening day for no other reason than it just happens to fit in with the planned days of a pitcher’s work, matchups, the weather, etc. But most of the time the pitcher that opens the new season is the one adorned as the ace of the staff. And for the New York Mets, the one “given” was the Tom Seaver would start on opening day.

And for as long as Seaver was around, Seaver started Game 1…except for his very first season in 1967. But from then on, Seaver pitched in a record ten (10) consecutive opening day games. Oh, and he also started opening day in 1983 upon his return to the Mets.

But along the way, there were some pretty damn good pitchers who never did get that honor.

1) Jon Matlack

Jon Matlack, like Tom Seaver, garnered Rookie of the Year honors. It was Matlack who made losing Nolan Ryan more palatable? Whether that is true or not, Matlack was an outstanding pitcher who not only took a back seat to Seaver, but to Jerry Koosman as well.

Matlack would have been the ace of a lot of other pitching staffs. But with the Mets, he was not only not the No. 1 pitcher on the staff, he wasn’t even the No. 1 LEFTY on the staff. That’s how good the Mets pitching was back in the late 1960’s to the mid 1970’s.

And, so, with Tom Seaver throwing in 10 straight opening day games, and Koosman getting one after Seaver was exiled to Cincinnati, that didn’t leave much room for Matlack. Although, Matlack DID manage to get a Game 1 start…in the 1973 World Series against the Oakland A’s.

Matlack would spend seven seasons with the Mets and pitch to a record of 82-81 with a 3.03 ERA, winning the 1972 Rookie of the Year honors and making three All Star game appearances.

2) Ron Darling

Ron Darling has that star power…the talent and the confidence that define the ace of a staff. Darling had a successful college career at Yale, where he went head to head with eventual teammate Frank Viola in a 12-inning 1-0 loss that is considered one of the greatest pitched collegiate games of all time.

That game put Darling on everyone’s radar. And when the Mets had a chance to get him, they did…in exchange for the face of the franchise, Lee Mazzilli.

Darling was always a consummate professional…he was consistent on the mound, an excellent fielder, and even often helped himself out as a capable hitter at times. He was a really good athlete with a great head for the game.

But Darling would always take a back seat to Dwight Gooden, who would always be considered the ace of the staff, and who started every opening day from 1985 to 1991. That is, with the exception of 1987 when Bobby Ojeda got the start when Gooden found himself unable to start the season.

Like Jon Matlack, Darling would, himself, get a Game 1 start…in the 1986 World Series against the Boston Red Sox.

Darling would spend nine seasons with the Mets and pitch to a record of 99-70 with a 3.50 ERA, winning a Gold Glove award and making one All Star appearance.

3) Sid Fernandez

Sid Fernandez was the least heralded of an exceptionally talented starting staff. Yet, he was probably the most reliable. He did whatever was asked of him.

Fernandez would be behind Dwight Gooden, Ron Darling, David Cone, and Frank Viola for all of his tenure with the Mets. They got most of the hype, but he was the one opponents hated to face. He was sneaky fast with a deceptive motion that hid the ball well…making hitters feel the ball was on top of them before they could react.

Fernandez would never earn an opening day start because, just like Darling, Gooden would be granted that honor every year except ’87.

Fernandez would not be given a start in the 1986 World Series, as the Mets ended up going with a three-man rotation. But he would actually be a savior in not one but two games.

Fernandez saved Gooden in Game 5 by coming in to shut down the Boston Red Sox over four innings, and then he did the same for Darling in Game 7 by coming in to retire seven consecutive hitters to halt the Red Sox onslaught.

Fernandez would spend ten seasons with the Mets and pitch to a record of 98-78 with a 3.14 ERA making two All Star game appearances.

This article was originally published on risingapple.com as The 3 best Mets pitchers to never start for the team on Opening Day.