Nolan McLean's 'sick' behind-the-back double play impresses Mets as much as his pitching did
With the game still scoreless in the third inning, McLean pitched into some trouble. He walked the first two batters he faced and Cal Raleigh hit a one-out single to load the bases with Julio Rodriguez up to the plate. The rookie threw a sweeper that got in on Rodriguez's hands and he chopped the ball up the middle.
McLean, who was a two-way player and a multi-sport athlete in college, swung his glove behind his back and snagged the ball before throwing it to second to start the 1-4-3 double play to end the inning and the threat.
"The ball just kinda found me on that one," McLean said of the play after the game. "Got a little lucky, hit my glove. Wasn't really something you draw up but it worked out."
While the ball may have found McLean, the nerves certainly didn't. Mets fans packed Citi Field on Saturday afternoon to see their top pitching prospect make his debut and he didn't disappoint.
McLean tossed 5.1 scoreless innings against a playoff team in the Mariners, and earned his first win after a 3-1 victory. The moment never seemed too big for him and that's what impressed manager Carlos Mendoza and his new teammates the most about the outing.
"He made an incredible play there, but at the same time, I was confident he was going to attack the zone and do the job that he was able to do in that moment," Francisco Alvarez, who caught McLean in Syracuse, said. "Maybe he would have given up one run or no runs in that situation, but I knew he was in a good spot and I had all the confidence in the world in him."
"Pretty impressive. Unbelievable. Everything we've heard from him. Stays on the attack," Mendoza said of McLean's performance. "The way he uses all of his pitches. For me, his ability to throw the secondary pitches when he's behind in counts, to get back in counts, to get swing and misses, to get chases, the sinker, the velo.
"The way he fields his position. And sure enough, he gets a comebacker, we don't teach that way, but not only to make the play, but to play catch in that moment. Bases loaded, one out, got Rodriguez at the plate, pretty much how he handled everything. Unbelievable."
Francisco Lindor was asked if he was more impressed by McLean's fielding or pitching. The Gold Glove shortstop paused for a second before saying with a smile, "That was kinda sick."
But like his teammates, McLean's demeanor was what stood out the most. "His conviction. He went out there, he was poised. Since yesterday, he was at ease and he executed from pitch one."
After his first successful MLB start, McLean has likely earned himself another start. We'll see if there are more web gems for the rookie to make.
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