MIAMI — Mike Pelfrey tried to claim he would approach his historic start tonight at new Citi Field as just another game.
Then the Mets’ big right-hander stopped himself and flashed his best “Who-am-I-kidding?” grin.
“The reality of it is, it’s the opening of Citi Field,” Pelfrey said yesterday morning. “It’s going to be an awesome time.”
Pelfrey admitted he has envisioned the scenario since learning in spring training that he would get the first start in the Mets’ new $850 million palace tonight against the Padres.
“I know it’s going to be a crazy atmosphere with the fans,” Pelfrey said. “It’s going to be sold out, [and] a lot of fans are going to be there. I don’t want to get too amped up and start overthrowing and get away from executing pitches.”
Pelfrey (1-0) is at least hoping for better results against San Diego than in his first outing this season. He allowed four runs, all in the first inning, and lasted just five frames in an eventual 9-7 win over the Reds in Cincinnati on Wednesday.
Pelfrey will be counting on Mets fans to help his cause tonight.
“It’s going to be nuts,” he said. “We’ll see how I keep my motions in check. I’ve never been part of the playoffs, but I’d imagine it’s going to be like a playoff atmosphere with all the fans and everything and all of the excitement.”
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Manager Jerry Manuel said defense will be a pregame point of emphasis and instruction after the Mets committed six errors on the trip, including two glaring miscues by Daniel Murphy and Luis Castillo in yesterday’s 2-1 loss to the Marlins.
“It could be just coming out of spring, different surfaces, that type of thing,” Manuel said. “But I expect and anticipate us to play a little better defensively than what we’ve played. It just hasn’t been good overall.”
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Right-hander Tim Redding, who has been rehabbing his sore right shoulder in Port St. Lucie, caught up with the Mets in the morning and said he hopes to be able to pitch at the major-league level again by early May.
Redding, who was shelved with a strained right rotator cuff after two horrific outings in spring training, will throw his third bullpen session tomorrow before making his first rehab start for Single-A St. Lucie on April 20.
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Johan Santana‘s hard-luck defeat yesterday marked his first loss in six career starts against the Marlins. He began the day 5-0 with a 1.83 career ERA versus Florida. . . . Florida starter Josh Johnson threw the third complete game by a Marlins pitcher since last Aug. 19, when Ricky Nolasco snapped the team’s major league record string of 301 games (since Sept. 16, 2006) without one. Johnson also had a complete game last August.