The first complete game that David Peterson pitched as a professional didn’t satisfy him or come close to meeting the traditional requirements. It was a rain-shortened, five-inning outing back in April 2023, and the Mets happened to lose at home that night to the division-rival Braves.
But that semi-achievement from Peterson is empty knowledge, even if he actually knew about it. After all, the left-hander now has a true and memorable complete game on his ledger, as he delivered nine shutout innings in the Mets’ 5-0 win over the division-rival Nationals on Wednesday night at Citi Field.
Peterson needed 106 pitches to accomplish the feat, but that final tally doesn’t tell the story of how efficient he was from start to finish. Despite allowing six hits, he struck out six of the 31 batters he faced, induced 13 groundouts, and threw 75 strikes. He never lost control or composure.
“It’s awesome, you dream of doing stuff like this,” Peterson said after the win. “We try to go as deep as we can into the game. To be able to go all nine was something very special, and something I couldn’t have done without Luis [Torrens] and defense, and obviously the offense putting up runs… The plan all along was to go after them. We knew they liked to swing the bat, put the ball in play. So, I trusted my defense and tried to execute my pitches.”
Peterson couldn’t have felt much sweat dripping down his uniform during the early innings. He faced the minimum through the first three frames, and threw a career-low 32 pitches across that stretch. By the time he completed the sixth with a four-run lead — three homers between Brandon Nimmo and Juan Soto offered the necessary breathing room — he’d allowed just two hits and logged 66 pitches.
The Nationals placed some pressure on Peterson in the seventh, as he gave up back-to-back singles to start the inning. But the two-on, no-out threat didn’t faze the Mets’ southpaw. He proceeded to retire the side with an impressive pair of punchouts and a groundout.
It wasn’t until the eighth that Peteson nearly lost his shutout bid. After a one-out double from Luis Garcia Jr., a single to center from Jacob Young prompted a bang-bang play at the plate on a relay throw from Tyrone Taylor to Luis Torrens. While the play was initially ruled an out, replay review was required to eliminate the catcher’s interference and confirm Torrens’ tag on Garcia before he touched home.
Once the review was settled, Peterson got the third out on a fly ball, with his pitch count at 97. When he returned to the dugout, he told Carlos Mendoza that he wanted to complete the job and pitch the ninth, and the Mets’ manager acquiesced.
“He came into the dugout and didn’t want to give me a look. That, for me, is a sign that he wants to go back out,” Mendoza explained. “When a pitcher comes back to the dugout and doesn’t want you to even look at him… I called him down into the tunnel and said, “Man, this is a tough one.’ He’s like, ‘Let me finish it, let me finish it.’ I said, ‘Alright, it’s yours.'”
Suffice to say, the decision paid off. Peterson needed just nine more pitches to seal the deal. And while the entire Citi Field crowd gave him a rousing ovation after the final out was made, his teammates mobbed him near the mound and extended him a well-deserved Gatorade bath.
Of course, complete-game shutouts aren’t rarer than no-hitters, or given their own chapter in the history books. But what Peterson authored is nevertheless special in today’s modern age, with pitchers vulnerable and coddled. He became the Mets’ first southpaw to pull off the stunt since 2019.
“I just felt like I had a chance all night. I felt like I was efficient, pitch count stayed low,” Peterson said. “It’s definitely very special. It’s a personal accomplishment, something I’ve wanted to do. But this doesn’t happen without Luis, the communication and being on the same page… I feel like I get the attention for it, but this was a huge team win.”
Peterson now owns a 2.49 ERA — second-best on the Mets — through 13 starts this season, and he’s pitched seven-plus innings in three of his last four outings. His next start will come on the road next week against the Braves, and he’ll be handed the impossible task of trying to live up to the shutout level that he finally reached.
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