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The New York Mets’ season started Thursday night on a pretty fun note, because why wouldn’t it be that way for the Mets?
After the Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates’ 2026 rosters were announced, Tony Award winner Chris Jackson, who played George Washington in “Hamilton,” entered the field for the national anthem.
Things went smoothly until he moved on to the fourth line of the “Star-Spangled Banner.”
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Bo Bichette, Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor of the New York Mets watch during the national anthem before the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the New York Mets at Citi Field on Thursday, March 26, 2026 in New York, New York. (Dustin Satloff/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Jackson was supposed to sing “O’er the ramparts we watched,” but instead he did the opposite and repeated, “What we so proudly salute” before moving on to the rest of the anthem.
The mishap began as a bad omen for the Amazin’s, who stifled the majors’ best record on June 13 of last year and missed the postseason as they fell into an 0-2 hole with new ace Freddy Peralta on the mound before recording an out.
A general view of the field before the first inning between the New York Mets and the Pittsburgh Pirates on Opening Day at Citi Field on March 26, 2026, in the Queens borough of New York City. (Ishika Samant/Getty Images)
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However, they stepped up with a five-run first inning, aided by some poor Pirates defense, and surprisingly knocked reigning Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes out of the game. It was the first time Skenes failed to get out of the first inning in his career, as he had always pitched at least two frames in his previous 55 starts.
Jackson also played “Benny” in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “In the Heights.” He made his Broadway debut in 1997 in “The Lion King” as Simba. In an ironic twist, Jackson also played Derek Jeter in the former Broadway show, “Bronx Bombers,” which lasted less than a month.
Lin-Manuel Miranda performs his final performance as “Alexander Hamilton” in “Hamilton” on Broadway at the Richard Rogers Theater on July 9, 2016 in New York City. (Bruce Glikas/Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic)
It’s a new look for the Mets after last year’s debacle. They left Edwin Díaz, Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo and brought in Peralta, Bo Bichette, Marcus Semien and Jorge Polanco. Top prospect Carson Benge also made his MLB debut on Thursday.
