Nolan McLean announced himself in a big way on Wednesday with the Mets, delivering a performance that left fans, commentators, and opponents alike taking notice.
Facing the Phillies in a crucial game, the Mets rookie threw a flawless shutout, earning immediate comparisons to one of baseball’s elite pitchers, Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Since stepping onto the Major League mound on August 16, McLean has stunned fans and analysts alike. With only three starts under his belt, he’s earned a 0-3 record and 0.89 ERA.
Meanwhile, Skenes, a two-time MLB All-Star and the reigning National League Rookie of the Year, has posted a 2.07 ERA this season.
The Pirates‘ 2023 first overall pick has been one of the game’s most talked-about arms, but McLean‘s outing on Wednesday suggested the Mets may have unearthed a comparable talent.
Rising to the challenge
For McLean, the game represented his toughest test yet. The Phillies, fighting to avoid a sweep, came into the matchup determined to make things difficult.
Yet through six innings, McLean faced the minimum, displaying remarkable composure against a lineup stacked with power hitters.
Even when Philadelphia mounted a threat in the eighth inning, placing runners on first and third with no outs, McLean remained unshaken.
He induced two flyouts and a grounder, preventing any runs and maintaining his perfect game through the stretch. By the end of the night, he had allowed only four hits and struck out six.
“What can you say?” NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Tom McCarthy said of the rising star.
“Sometimes you face a pitcher that is absolutely dominant. And it doesn’t matter how the Phillies have struggled, Nolan McLean was dominant and would’ve been dominant, it seems, even against a hot Phillies team.”
Beyond statistics, McLean‘s emergence is reshaping the Mets‘ identity. Fans across Reddit threads and X spaces are already dubbing him the “next Jacob deGrom,” citing not only his velocity but his icy composure under pressure.
Veteran players credit his poise with energizing a clubhouse that struggled early in April, injecting a sharper edge into the rotation.
McLean‘s trajectory indicates he could quickly assume true ace status, capable of Opening Day starts and playoff heroics alike.
Dominant breaking balls, efficient pitch counts, and unshakable confidence make him a formidable adversary.
If he continues on this path, McLean may not only rival Skenes but redefine expectations for rookie pitchers across the league.
Baseball purists might soon find themselves recalibrating metrics to track his rapid ascent.
The Mets‘ victory also has implications for the NL East race. The team now trails the Phillies by only four games and holds the tiebreaker thanks to a 7-2 edge in the season series.
That margin keeps New York‘s hopes alive for a late-season surge that could upend Philadelphia‘s attempt to repeat as division champions.
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