The Mets’ Opening Day pitching matchup against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citi Field gives fans a treat to start the 2026 MLB season: Freddy Peralta vs. Paul Skenes.

It’s a marquee showdown between the Pirates ace, the reigning National League Cy Young award winner, and the two-time All-Star who has a lot to prove as the Mets’ premier offseason acquisition.

For Peralta in his first real game with the Mets, the Thursday afternoon matchup isn’t one he shies away from.

“I admit and I know that he’s [Skenes] is great, and there’s a lot of more great pitchers around the league, too,” Peralta said Wednesday. “I see it that we’re facing each other, and I know that he’s giving the best for him and his team and I just see it the same way that I give my best for me and my team… I just see the way that I’m competing against him.”

Baseball fans and pundits often clamor about matchups between two stellar pitchers. Some players choose to defer when asked about such matchups, often saying a pitcher is going up against the opposing lineup and not an opposing pitcher.

But not Peralta.

“Because I know it’s gonna be a pretty tough day for the offense, and it makes me better when I know that I have that kind of pitcher on the mound,” he said.

On Wednesday, the Mets new ace — with family currently residing in Flushing and Corona — expects plenty of family members along with the Latin community to be present at Citi Field. He called the opportunity to take the mound on Opening Day a “bigger responsibility and commitment.”

The 2026 regular-season opener is now Peralta’s third time beginning a campaign in New York.

Last season, Perala struck out eight while allowing two runs in five innings in a 4-2 loss against the Yankees. A year prior, he recorded eight strikeouts, a run and a hit in six innings at Citi Field.

“So it’s kind of like feels like familiar, but the end of the day, yeah, I am around a lot of new players, so it feels a little different, but at the same time, it’s very familiar, kind of the same,” he said of getting another start of the season in New York.

The Mets sent top prospects Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams to the Brewers in January for the 29-year-old right-hander. He pitched a career-high 176.2 innings in 2025 and had personal bests in ERA (2.70), starts (33), wins (17) and strikeouts (204). He finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting.

STILL NO COMMENT ON CONTRACT

Since Peralta’s arrival to Queens, the pitcher hasn’t offered much information on contract talks with the Mets. The theme continued on the eve of Opening Day.

“No comment on that one,” said Peralta, who is slated to be a free agent next winter.

President of baseball operations David Stearns didn’t change his tune, either.

“I’m not going to comment on any sort of extension or contract talks,” Stearns said.