With the Mets looking to sweep the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night at Citi Field to pull within four games of the NL East title and get right back into the division race, the stage couldn't have been brighter for starter Nolan McLean.
Not only was it a huge opportunity for New York, it was also just McLean's third career start. And although the right-hander aced his first two tests and entered the game 2-0 with a 1.46 ERA, there was certainly some added pressure facing the team the Mets are chasing in the standings and knowing what a sweep would mean.
But the pressure didn't faze McLean one bit. In fact, it looked like it added some extra motivation to the 24-year-old who rose to the occasion with eight scoreless innings against a loaded Phillies lineup.
"All I can say is wow," said manager Carlos Mendoza after the game. "That was super impressive. He dominated one of the best lineups in the league. He made it look easy. Just everything about the kid, you know? Not only what we’re seeing on the mound, but the way he’s carrying himself.
"He’s got electric stuff, but he’s got pitch ability. He knows what he’s doing on the mound, he knows how to manipulate the baseball, he knows what hitters are trying to do to him. He’s not afraid to use all of his pitches."
McLean had Philadelphia in his pocket from the start. It started with a 1-2-3 opening inning in which he struck out the first batter he faced on three pitches and needed just nine pitches in total before walking back to the dugout.
The right-hander was rolling from there and faced the minimum through six innings by utilizing his entire mix of pitches to keep the Phillies off balance and guessing all night. Bryce Harper's two-out single in the seventh inning was just the second hit McLean allowed after Alec Bohm had a single in the second (erased on a double play).
"I knew about the lineup going into it, that I was gonna have my hands full and was gonna have to have some good stuff," McLean said. "I mean top to bottom they’re stacked with hitters so I definitely knew I had to bring some good stuff tonight."
Bring it he did.
With the Mets' offense continuing its hot stretch and giving their rookie some runs early, McLean was able to focus on making his pitches and attacking hitters which he did the entire outing. In fact, McLean was so dominant, he entered the eighth inning with just 76 pitches thrown.
It was in that eighth inning where the first sign of trouble came for the rookie. Despite making what he believes to have been good pitches, McLean allowed the first two runners on after consecutive singles put runners on the corners.
While New York was safely up 6-0, the sudden traffic on the basepaths was enough to make anybody nervous, especially with the aforementioned offensive juggernaut that Philadelphia possesses. Yet, after a talk with pitching coach Jeremy Hefner and with battery mate Hayden Senger, McLean was able to flip the script and, once again, rise up to the occasion by retiring the next three batters to not allow a run — a microcosm of the pressure-filled game itself.
"First and third and he continues to make pitches and kinda like ‘let me flip it back here and let me use my secondary pitches.’ That’s pitching there," Mendoza said while adding that he could tell McLean still had a lot left in the tank towards the end. "… You get to this level and guys like that, they’re wired differently. They take it to the next level. Obviously trusting the catcher, the game plan, trusting your defense behind you."
Overall, McLean went eight shutout innings, allowed four hits, walked none and struck out six to notch his third win in his first three career starts — the first pitcher in Mets history to accomplish that. His brilliant outing also lowered his season ERA to 0.89 in 20.1 innings.
With numbers like that, it's not a surprise to find that the right-hander exudes confidence and moxie on the mound.
"I’ve always been a believer in my stuff. I’m a confident guy," McLean said. "Obviously the hitters here are the best in the world and I know that, but I also know I have good stuff and if I go out there and execute I can get a lot of guys out as well."
In regards to pitching in big moments like Wednesday's game, McLean said, "That’s exactly what I want."
It's an attitude and a charisma that the Mets have lacked for much of the season, especially from their pitching rotation. But with McLean now appeared poised to break out and top prospect Jonah Tong getting ready to make his highly-anticipated MLB debut on Friday, New York suddenly has a bolt of energy shot into the starting staff.
"We’ve been missing that type of performance pretty much the whole year and here we are when we gotta go," Mendoza said. "And just as a team, knowing that when he takes the baseball you feel pretty good about your chances. That’s a really good feeling. It tells everyone in that room that I’m here with you guys, let’s go."
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