WASHINGTON (AP) -- Max Scherzer took a no-hitter into the sixth inning of his Washington debut but was unable to overcome two costly errors by shortstop Ian Desmond, and the New York Mets beat the Nationals 3-1 in their season opener Monday.

Bartolo Colon, New York Mets
Bartolo Colon of the New York Mets pitches at Nationals Park in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee, Getty Images)
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Bartolo Colon pitched six clean innings for the Mets, giving up only Bryce Harper's third opening-day homer. Lucas Duda hit a two-run single with two outs in the sixth, putting New York ahead with its first hit of the year.

At 41, Colon (1-0) was the oldest opening-day starter in Mets history -- and in the majors since 2006. He struck out eight and allowed only three hits. One, though, sailed over the out-of-town scoreboard in the fourth off the bat of Harper, who homered twice in Game 1 in 2013.

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