Nolan McLean gives Mets much-needed lift in major-league debut

New York Times

2 days ago

NEW YORK — Just before the start of the seventh inning, a camera panned to Nolan McLean leaning over the railing of the New York Mets dugout. Upon seeing him on Citi Field's gigantic video board, the crowd offered a standing ovation, cheering so much and so loudly that eventually McLean, who later admitted to being caught off-guard, responded with a grin and fist pump. By then, 15 minutes and nearly a full inning had already passed since McLean's last pitch.
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Moments before the ninth inning started, the scene played out exactly the same. Another shot of McLean. Another round of applause.
'That was unbelievable,' McLean said.
At a time when the Mets are desperate for wins and their fans starving for something to cheer about, McLean's major-league debut on Saturday lifted spirits. The Mets' 24-year-old top pitching prospect played stopper. New York's 3-1 win over the Seattle Mariners was just its third victory in 17 games, but it snapped a three-game losing streak. McLean's performance — 5 1/3 innings, no runs, two hits, four walks and eight strikeouts — turned up the vibes.
With an impressive six-pitch mix and cool demeanor, McLean offered hope for the final sprint toward the end of the season — and beyond.
All eight of Nolan McLean's strikeouts in his big-league debut 💪 pic.twitter.com/KGF2BFxYIV
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) August 16, 2025
After spending most of the last two weeks' worth of postgame news conferences explaining the Mets' hard-to-believe spiral, manager Carlos Mendoza gushed as he spoke about McLean.
'Pretty impressive,' Mendoza said. 'I mean, unbelievable.'
Immediately after McLean struck out Mariners star outfielder Julio Rodriguez looking at a sinker on the outside edge of the strike zone for the first out of the sixth inning, Mendoza popped out of the dugout signaling for a pitching change. McLean's last pitch was his 91st. There was a runner on first base who reached via walk. Josh Naylor, a strong left-handed batter, was due up. In the bullpen, lefty Gregory Soto was warm. It was understandable to remove McLean, a right-hander. No matter. The crowd booed loudly.
'I heard them loud and clear,' Mendoza said with a chuckle. 'And if I was sitting in the stands, I would've been booing myself, too. I completely understand.'
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Quickly, though, as McLean walked off the mound, the booing turned into a standing ovation. The Mets announced the attendance figure as 42,978. Many people came for Juan Soto bobblehead day. They stayed for McLean, who joined Matt Harvey as the only pitchers in Mets history to earn a win, strike out eight or more batters, and allow zero runs in their major-league debut.
In the days leading up to McLean's outing, Mendoza didn't want people to view the pitcher as some kind of savior. When asked of his mindset within the context of the team's struggles, McLean said he didn't bear any additional responsibility. The reality is, though, that the Mets have long needed something. A jolt. Some energy. A solid pitching performance. And McLean delivered.
'Definitely something that maybe we were missing, especially with how hard this stretch has been,' Mendoza said. 'We definitely felt it today.'
That much appeared obvious. The people in the crowd buzzed before McLean threw his first pitch. They exploded when he struck out Mariners leadoff batter Randy Arozarena. The good feelings extended onto the field and dugout. Two innings later, Pete Alonso flashed a child-like grin after catching the back end of a double play that started with McLean, originally drafted as a two-way player from Oklahoma State, nabbing a comebacker with a behind-the-back snag. As they walked off the field, a smiling Francisco Alvarez motioned to McLean to look at himself on the videoboard for a replay.
'Wasn't really something you draw up, but it worked out,' McLean said.
Ahead of last season, a club official said that wherever prospect publications ranked McLean, it was not going to be high enough. Such websites only recently caught up to the Mets' view of McLean, placing him inside top-100 rankings. Along with Brandon Sproat and Jonah Tong, McLean is part of a wave of pitching prospects that the Mets have high hopes for.
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Generally, a belief in pitching development is a major component of the Mets' vision for sustained success under owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns. Under Stearns, the Mets have generally steered clear of long-term pitching contracts. Thus, the pitching prospects are vital. More specifically, McLean is a big reason why the Mets decided against trading for a starting pitcher at the deadline. They believed he could help. On Saturday, he showed why.
McLean used all six of his pitches effectively, showcasing elite spin on his breaking balls and a good feel for when to deploy his fastballs. He threw his secondary pitches to get back into counts. He used his high-90s sinker inside and in the strike zone. He racked up swings-and-misses with his sweeper and curveball. He even broke out a changeup — he threw two all game — for a called third strike against Dominic Calzone to end the second inning.
Most important, the moment never seemed too big for McLean. He issued back-to-back walks to start the third inning. At that point, Mendoza turned to bench coach John Gibbons and said, 'Let's see what we got here.' Facing the top of the order, McLean got out of the jam.
'We needed that,' Mendoza said. 'We needed that as a team, as an organization, given where we're at and how hard it has been for us. You start thinking about what it's going to look like here pretty soon, and I feel good about our chances.'
Mendoza was referring to both the outlook of the Mets' long-term future regarding pitching development and the status of the 2025 season. But his point was mainly about the current team.
Alvarez made a similar comment, saying that McLean could ignite some friendly competition within a rotation that had otherwise seemingly hit a wall (and hard). At least in the short term, club officials think there might be such a boost. But it was just one outing from McLean, and considering veterans described the club as being 'snake-bitten' the last few weeks, perhaps pumping the brakes a bit here is warranted. On the other hand, there are only 39 games left and the Mets (65-58) hold just a 1/2 game lead over the Cincinnati Reds for the final wild-card spot; the desire to cling to optimistic thoughts after such a performance only makes sense.
Inside the Mets' dugout after Edwin Díaz closed out a two-inning save, Jesse Winker shook McLean's hand. From there, McLean turned to his right to see an empty bench, then quickly realized he needed to hop over the railing to join his teammates on the field. Near the foul line, Sean Manaea told McLean to walk to the front of the line. There, Tylor Megill demonstratively instructed him to join the position players near second base for their routine on-field celebration. It was all new for McLean.
The Mets are hoping he gets used to it.
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