Ex-Mets Make Opening Night Bitter Sweet

Well Heath Bell got his wish. After publicly admitting that he wanted to be the first pitcher to close a game at Citi Field, Bell came through.

Unfortunately, the ex-Met did so while sporting a San Diego jersey. To make matters worse, he was set up by another ex-Met, Duaner Sanchez, who was released this spring.

There is no hiding the dismay that Bell has for the Mets. During his time with the team, he put up solid numbers in the minors, but never could come through when he made it to the big time.

Often times his role for the Mets was mop up duty, coming in when the game was out of reach.

When he was traded to the Padres a few season ago, along with Royce Ring for Ben Johnson and Jon Adkins, Bell became a new man.

He started throwing like he was a man on a mission, a mission to prove the Mets wrong.

After a few seasons setting up for future Hall of Fame closer Trevor Hoffman, Bell was officlally named closer for the Padres, effectively becoming for them what the Mets had hoped he could do in New York.

So while the fans were in awe of the Citi Field, their hopes for an Opening Day win were shot down by a man who was deemed unworthy to where the orange and blue.

So while Citi Field means a new beginning for the Mets, it was a man from the past who got the last laugh last night.