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Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca blocks St. Louis' David Eckstein at home plate.

Delgado’s opposite-field, two-run double high off the left-field wall put the Mets ahead in the third, and New York made it 5-0 in the fourth on Lo Duca’s two-out single and an RBI single by Beltran. Lo Duca added a run-scoring single in the ninth off Brad Thompson.

After David Eckstein hit an RBI double in the sixth, Beltran threw out Eckstein at the plate on Preston Wilson’s sharp single to center. Yadier Molina ended the inning by breaking his bat on an infield popup with the bases loaded. La Russa called it “kind of a foolish throw.”

“I don’t think you make that throw too often, and he pulled it off,” the manager added. “That’s the kind of night they had.”

The Mets thought otherwise.

“It’s the kind of thing you never expect, but when you get it it’s a huge momentum swing,” Glavine said. “As it turned out, the way the inning progressed, it was a huge play.”

Glavine also benefited from Moises Alou’s diving catch in shallow left field on Adam Kennedy’s flare to start the sixth. Glavine induced two of the Cardinals’ four double-play balls.

Notes: There was a moment of silence to mark the recent deaths of former commissioner Bowie Kuhn, longtime Cardinals general manager Bing Devine and Missouri Sen. Thomas Eagleton. ... The Mets are 29-17 on opening day for a .603 winning percentage, best in major league history. ... The Cardinals and Mets opened for the first time since 1996, La Russa’s first season in St. Louis. ... Glavine has won three straight opening-day starts and is 5-3 with a 3.70 ERA in eight openers. ... Carpenter is 2-1 in four opening-day starts. ... Eckstein was 3-for-4 and is 10-for-28 (.357) in seven openers.

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