The New York Mets routed the Giants last night, and Nolan McLean pitched five perfect innings in just his 10th start.
The New York Mets got a big win last night as they broke their three-game losing streak against the San Francisco Giants yesterday, and most of the focus early on was on the Mets offense, which got starter Nolan McLean off to a 2-0 lead.
But there was a lot more to the story pitching-wise, and it was all about McLean. He took a perfect game into the sixth inning against the Giants, which started a buzz about whether McLean could throw either a perfect game or a no-hitter in just his tenth major league start.
McLean knew better, though. He didn’t have the control necessary to go the distance, and he wasn’t all that surprised when he lost the perfect game and the no-no in the sixth. He used his cutter to climb out of deep counts, and that’s a pitch he’s thrown just 13 times in his first nine starts, according to a piece written by Henry Schulman of MLB.com.
That’s a bad stat for hitters who have to face McLean, as second baseman Marcus Semien noted.
“If he’s in the zone with two of his pitches, he’s going to be a problem, let alone the six that he throws,” second baseman Marcus Semien said. “So that’s scary. If he’s got a perfect game going and he didn’t feel great, I can’t wait to see what he does when he feels great.”
McLean knew his shot at perfection or a no-no was an illusion, though.
“It didn’t really feel that way just because of how many 3-2 counts I had and being behind in the counts,” McLean said. “It felt kind of grindier, I guess, than what the scoreboard showed.”
The Giants quickly broke through in the sixth thanks to a pair of walks and an RBI double by Wily Adames, and that was the end of McLean’s night at 93 pitches.
The odds are very strong that this will happen again, especially on nights where McLean has better command and control. His potential is off the charts, and against the Giants he showed why for five innings, which also impressed manager Carlos Mendoza.
“You feel good about your chances every time he’s pitching,” manager Carlos Mendoza said after the Mets improved to 7-3 in McLean’s starts. “You feel good about winning that game, and even when he’s not at his best you know that he’s going to keep you in games.”
McLean’s final line was two runs with one unearned, one hit, two walks and four strikeouts, which also points to McLean’s potential as a top-of-the-rotation starter, even though he’s still a rookie with just ten starts in the books.