Mets off to rousing start and ready for 1st clash with NL East rival Phillies

NEW YORK (AP) — Off to a fast start, the New York Mets are primed for their first clash with the Philadelphia Phillies this season.

Following a four-game sweep of St. Louis, the Mets welcome Bryce Harper and the Phillies to Citi Field for a three-game set beginning Monday night. It will be the first meeting between the bitter NL East rivals since New York eliminated Philadelphia from the playoffs last October.

“I expect it to be high energy. They obviously don't like the way things ended last year and I'm sure they'd like to make a statement right away,” Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo said Sunday.

“So for us, it's a big series. They're a very good team and we know that. We knew that from last year and we know that this year. They even improved this offseason and made some great additions. So, this is going to be a fun series. It is early, but every game counts.”

New York is 15-7 overall and 9-1 at Citi Field, tied for the second-best start to a season at home in franchise history. Fans are fired up, too, with the Mets drawing more than 38,000 for every game of their weekend series against the Cardinals.

“Last year it was not like this (in April). So I appreciate the fans coming out and giving us love and supporting us,” star shortstop Francisco Lindor said. “We definitely do feel it.”

Philadelphia is 13-9 after blowing a late lead Sunday at home and losing 7-5 to the Miami Marlins in 10 innings.

Mets right-hander Tylor Megill (2-2, 1.40 ERA) faces a struggling Aaron Nola (0-4, 6.65) in the series opener Monday night. It's newcomer Griffin Canning (2-1, 3.43) against Phillies lefty Cristopher Sánchez (2-0, 2.96) on Tuesday night, and David Peterson (1-1, 3.27) opposing ex-Met Zack Wheeler (2-1, 3.73) in a Wednesday matinee.

Philadelphia won the NL East last season by six games over New York and Atlanta, but Lindor's grand slam helped the wild-card Mets close out the Phillies in Game 4 of their best-of-five Division Series.

That sent Pete Alonso and the surprising Mets into the National League Championship Series, where they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Six months later, fellow slugger Juan Soto gets his first taste of the New York-Philly rivalry after signing a record $765 million, 15-year contract to join the Mets in December.

“It's going to be star-studded,” Nimmo said. “I think the fans should enjoy it.”

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New York Mets outfielder Jesse Winker (3) signs baseballs for fans before a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

A young fan shouts, "Can you sign my ball?" to New York Mets players after a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) signs baseballs for fans before a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) stands on the field during a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

Philadelphia Phillies' Johan Rojas bunts in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson)

Fans wear bunny ears at the Easter baseball game between the New York Mets and the St. Louis Cardinals, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

Young fans cheer at a baseball game between the New York Mets and the St. Louis Cardinals, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo (9) and fans celebrate his leaping catch during the sixth inning of the baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

New York Mets' Brandon Nimmo (9) catches St. Louis Cardinals' Jordan Walker (18) ball, resulting in Walker flying out, during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

Philadelphia Phillies' Trea Turner hits an RBI single during the third inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson)

New York Mets' Francisco Lindor (12) reacts after hitting a home run, during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

New York Mets' Francisco Lindor (12) makes the first home run of the game, and his third of the season, during the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper follows through on an RBI double during the first inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson)

New York Mets' Jesse Winker, Francisco Lindor and Luisangel Acuña celebrate winning the baseball game 7-4 against the St. Louis Cardinals, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

New York Mets Brandon Nimmo (9) celebrates his leaping catch against the St. Louis Cardinals during Cardinals' Jordan Walker's ball, resulting in Walker flying out during the sixth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

U.S. forces have boarded another oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea. The announcement was made Friday by the U.S. military. The Trump administration has been targeting sanctioned tankers traveling to and from Venezuela.

The pre-dawn action was carried out by U.S. Marines and Navy, taking part in the monthslong buildup of forces in the Caribbean, according to U.S. Southern Command, which declared “there is no safe haven for criminals” as it announced the seizure of the vessel called the Olina.

Navy officials couldn’t immediately provide details about whether the Coast Guard was part of the force that took control of the vessel as has been the case in the previous seizures. A spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard said there was no immediate comment on the seizure.

The Olina is the fifth tanker that has been seized by U.S. forces as part of a broader effort by Trump’s administration to control the distribution of Venezuela’s oil products globally following the U.S. ouster of President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid.

The latest:

Richard Grenell, president of the Kennedy Center, says a documentary film about first lady Melania Trump will make its premiere later this month, posting a trailer on X.

As the Trumps prepared to return to the White House last year, Amazon Prime Video announced a year ago that it had obtained exclusive licensing rights for a streaming and theatrical release directed by Brett Ratner.

Melania Trump also released a self-titled memoir in late 2024.

Some artists have canceled scheduled Kennedy Center performances after a newly installed board voted to add President Donald Trump’s to the facility, prompting Grenell to accuse the performers of making their decisions because of politics.

Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum says that she has asked her foreign affairs secretary to reach out directly to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio or Trump regarding comments by the American leader that the U.S. cold begin ground attacks against drug cartels.

In a wide-ranging interview with Fox News aired Thursday night, Trump said, “We’ve knocked out 97% of the drugs coming in by water and we are going to start now hitting land, with regard to the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico. It’s very sad to watch.”

As she has on previous occasions, Sheinbaum downplayed the remarks, saying “it is part of his way of communicating.” She said she asked her Foreign Affairs Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente to strengthen coordination with the U.S.

Sheinbaum has repeatedly rebuffed Trump’s offer to send U.S. troops after Mexican drug cartels. She emphasizes that there will be no violation of Mexico’s sovereignty, but the two governments will continue to collaborate closely.

Analysts do not see a U.S. incursion in Mexico as a real possibility, in part because Sheinbaum’s administration has been doing nearly everything Trump has asked and Mexico is a critical trade partner.

Trump says he wants to secure $100 billion to remake Venezuela’s oil infrastructure, a lofty goal going into a 2:30 meeting on Friday with executives from leading oil companies. His plan rides on oil producers being comfortable in making commitments in a country plagued by instability, inflation and uncertainty.

The president has said that the U.S. will control distribution worldwide of Venezuela’s oil and will share some of the proceeds with the country’s population from accounts that it controls.

“At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House,” Trump said Friday in a pre-dawn social media post.

Trump is banking on the idea that he can tap more of Venezuela’s petroleum reserves to keep oil prices and gasoline costs low.

At a time when many Americans are concerned about affordability, the incursion in Venezuela melds Trump’s assertive use of presidential powers with an optical spectacle meant to convince Americans that he can bring down energy prices.

Trump is expected to meet with oil executives at the White House on Friday.

He hopes to secure $100 billion in investments to revive Venezuela’s oil industry. The goal rides on the executives’ comfort with investing in a country facing instability and inflation.

Since a U.S. military raid captured former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, Trump has said there’s a new opportunity to use the country’s oil to keep gasoline prices low.

The full list of executives invited to the meeting has not been disclosed, but Chevron, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips are expected to attend.

Attorneys general in five Democratic-led states have filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s administration after it said it would freeze money for several public benefit programs.

The Trump administration has cited concerns about fraud in the programs designed to help low-income families and their children. California, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois and New York states filed the lawsuit Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

The lawsuit asks the courts to order the administration to release the funds. The attorneys general have called the funding freeze an unconstitutional abuse of power.

Iran’s judiciary chief has vowed decisive punishment for protesters, signaling a coming crackdown against demonstrations.

Iranian state television reported the comments from Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei on Friday. They came after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei criticized Trump’s support for the protesters, calling Trump’s hands “stained with the blood of Iranians.”

The government has shut down the internet and is blocking international calls. State media has labeled the demonstrators as “terrorists.”

The protests began over Iran’s struggling economy and have become a significant challenge to the government. Violence has killed at least 50 people, and more than 2,270 have been detained.

Trump questions why a president’s party often loses in midterm elections and suggests voters “want, maybe a check or something”

Trump suggested voters want to check a president’s power and that’s why they often deliver wins for an opposing party in midterm elections, which he’s facing this year.

“There’s something down, deep psychologically with the voters that they want, maybe a check or something. I don’t know what it is, exactly,” he said.

He said that one would expect that after winning an election and having “a great, successful presidency, it would be an automatic win, but it’s never been a win.”

Hiring likely remained subdued last month as many companies have sought to avoid expanding their workforces, though the job gains may be enough to bring down the unemployment rate.

December’s jobs report, to be released Friday, is likely to show that employers added a modest 55,000 jobs, economists forecast. That figure would be below November’s 64,000 but an improvement after the economy lost jobs in October. The unemployment rate is expected to slip to 4.5%, according to data provider FactSet, from a four-year high of 4.6% in November.

The figures will be closely watched on Wall Street and in Washington because they will be the first clean readings on the labor market in three months. The government didn’t issue a report in October because of the six-week government shutdown, and November’s data was distorted by the closure, which lasted until Nov. 12.

FILE - President Donald Trump dances as he walks off stage after speaking to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)