The New York Mets’ 3-1 win over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday was headlined by the debut performance of Nolan McLean. With the team’s pitching in dire straits, the 24-year-old righty delivered 5.1 scoreless innings to set the tone on the mound.
“I couldn’t have dreamed it up any better,” McLean said on Aug. 16. “From the fans to getting out there and being able to compete against a good Seattle team.”
Entering Saturday’s game, the Mets’ pitching staff had been averaging 4.92 innings per game from their starters, one of the lowest marks in the game. McLean didn’t clear that number by a wide margin, but he got deep enough to give the Mets a chance to piece things together.
Sure enough, Gregory Soto retired five straight batters to get the game into the eighth, with Edwin Diaz closing the door on the win.
What also stood out about McLean was his diverse pitch mix. He used his sweeper most frequently, followed by his sinker, curveball, four-seam fastball, cutter, and changeup. According to Baseball Savant, 32 of his offspeed pitches reached over 3,000 revolutions per minute.
“We needed that, as a team, the organization given where we’re at now and how hard it’s been for us,” Manager Carlos Mendoza said after the game.
Nolan McLean’s veteran teammates impressed
McLean’s callup was an introduction for some of the players who hadn’t interacted with him previously. One of them was first baseman Pete Alonso, who set a focus on making his job easier.
“If the ball hits you, you catch it and make the play,” Alonso said before the game. “From an offensive standpoint, you do the best you can to put up runs for them.”
Francisco Lindor also voiced confidence in his new arm, saying that the team fed off the energy the crowd gave to McLean and the team.
“We have a good pitching staff here and a lot of guys who try to do that,” Lindor said. “Today, for his first day, you wouldn’t be able to tell that it was his first day. So, hats off to him, and hopefully he can continue to have a lot of success and help us win.”
Someone who had experience with McLean was catcher Francisco Alvarez, who was behind the plate for his recent games with Triple-A Syracuse. Alvarez cited his experience catching McLean down there earlier this season for keeping him comfortable during his outing.
“The thing that he was able to do well today was just the way he moves through his pitches,” Alvarez said. “The way he mixes pitches, and I think that’s what he’s been doing since I was catching him in Syracuse. He goes out there, uses a little bit of everything, and that’s what makes him such a good pitcher.”
After what was a memorable debut, the focus now shifts to what’s next for McLean. Mendoza all but confirmed that the pitcher will make another start, so he will continue to build those relationships in the clubhouse. The early connections were apparent after the game, with him joining the postgame celebration and getting a water cooler bath.
“When I got here yesterday, they made me feel like it was home, so I think all the guys in here do a great job of just making it feel like a really good culture,” McLean said.
Lindor also expressed his support for welcoming McLean into the clubhouse and said the team will need all hands on deck to push for a postseason berth.
“He helped us win today, so he’s a part of this,” Lindor said. “We’re going to need everyone in this 40-man roster, and guys that are not in here that come up, we’re going to need them. They’re going to be here for a reason, and he’s going to be part of the success that we have.”
However, that optimism doesn’t just end with McLean. Several other touted arms are waiting in the system.
Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat are among names close to cracking the big club, and Alonso hopes to see them succeed when they become part of the teams’ plans.
“Once you cross over to the other side, it’s a different animal,” Alonso said. “Once they get up here, this is different. The second hardest thing you can do in your baseball career is make it to the big leagues, the first hardest thing is to stay, and I want nothing but the best for those guys.”
