NEW YORK (Interstat) — In a wild Opening Day slugfest that defied pregame projections, the New York Mets outlasted the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-7 on Thursday at Citi Field before a crowd of 41,449.

The game, which took 3 hours and 8 minutes, featured a combined 21 hits and was a stark departure from the Interstat game simulator’s projection of a 1-0 Mets victory. The teams instead combined for 18 runs, easily surpassing the pregame over/under line of 6.5.

The most important sequence of the game unfolded in the bottom of the first inning, immediately after the Pirates had seized early momentum. Pittsburgh’s Brandon Lowe launched a two-run homer off Mets starter Freddy Peralta in the top of the frame, staking ace Paul Skenes to a 2-0 lead. Skenes, however, unraveled in the home half.

The Mets’ offensive eruption began with patience. Francisco Lindor walked and Juan Soto singled, setting the stage for Bo Bichette’s sacrifice fly. After another single and a walk loaded the bases, Brett Baty cleared them with a ringing triple to center field, giving New York a 4-2 lead. Marcus Semien followed with an RBI double, capping a five-run inning and chasing Skenes from the game after just two-thirds of an inning pitched.

Lowe, who finished 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs, tried to single-handedly keep Pittsburgh close. He launched his second solo homer of the game in the third inning, pulling the Pirates within 5-3. The Mets responded in the fourth on an RBI single from Luis Robert Jr. to make it 6-3.

Pittsburgh chipped away with a run in the fifth on Henry Davis’ RBI double, but the Mets broke the game open with three more in the bottom of the fifth. Soto and Jorge Polanco drew bases-loaded walks, and Robert Jr. added another run-scoring single, extending the lead to 9-4.

Ryan O’Hearn homered for Pittsburgh in the sixth, but the Mets answered with back-to-back solo shots from Carson Benge and Francisco Alvarez in the bottom of the inning, pushing their advantage to 11-5.

The Pirates mounted a final rally in the ninth against Mets reliever Tobias Myers. O’Hearn and Jared Triolo led off with hits, and Nick Gonzales delivered a two-run double to cut the deficit to 11-7. With the tying run on deck, Myers recovered to retire Henry Davis and Oneil Cruz, securing the victory.

Freddy Peralta earned the win for New York despite allowing four runs on six hits over five innings, striking out seven. Paul Skenes was tagged with the loss for Pittsburgh. Key relief work came from the Pirates’ Yohan Ramirez, who provided 2 1/3 scoreless innings after Skenes’ early exit, and Gregory Soto, who struck out two in a perfect seventh.

For the Mets, Alvarez went 2-for-4 with a home run, while Baty’s first-inning triple drove in three. Gonzales and O’Hearn each had two hits and two RBIs for the Pirates.

With the win, the Mets begin the season 1-0, while the Pirates start 0-1. The teams are scheduled to continue their series on Saturday.

UP NEXT:

The Pirates and Mets continue their three-game series on Saturday at Citi Field. Pittsburgh then travels to Cincinnati for a three-game set beginning Monday. The Mets will host the Pirates again Sunday before embarking on a road trip to St. Louis on Monday.