Baseball kicks off with Mets defeating Reds
Daniel Murphy homered and drove in both New York runs, as the Mets opened the 2009 season with a 2-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on a rainy day at Great American Ball Park. Johan Santana (1-0) went the first 5 2/3 innings to earn the win for New York. He gave up one run on three hits with four walks and seven strikeouts. The Mets are trying to erase memories of a second consecutive season that ended short of a playoff appearance thanks to a September collapse. Bullpen help was the most pressing need for New York, which blew 29 saves last year and seven leads for Santana alone, and the two big offseason acquisitions — J.J. Putz and Francisco Rodriguez — did the job Monday. – From Seattle Post-Intelligencer