Nolan McLean Records Win In First Career MLB Start

Former Oklahoma State standout Nolan McLean had a storybook debut for the New York Mets today as he was the winning pitcher in the 3-1 win over the Seattle Mariners.

Nolan went just over five innings with eight strikeouts, four walks and gave up just two hits. He threw 91 total pitches, 55 of which were thrown for strikes. The two hits he allowed were both singles.

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“Pretty impressive, I mean unbelievable,” said Mets manager Carlos Mendoza of McLean’s performance. “Pretty much everything we’ve heard from him, the reports we kept getting, mound presence, demeanor, attack, 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(city). The other thing talking with his manager in Triple-A, the way he fields his position, and sure enough he gets a comebacker. We don’t teach that way, but for him to not only make the play but to play catch in that moment. Controlling that situation too, bases loaded, one out, you’ve got [Julio] Rodriguez at the plate, just the way he handled pretty much everything. Unbelievable.”

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McLean getting his glove checked.

The moment where things could’ve really gone wrong for Nolan is what Mendoza just talked about. It was top of the third with bases loaded and just one out. Julio Rodriguez hits a sharp hit up the middle and Nolan fields it behind his back and makes a clean throw to second for the double play.

But arguably his best inning came in the top of the fourth when he got Josh Naylor to ground out and struck out Eugenio Suarez and Jorge Polanco to end the inning.

McLean started the sixth inning walking the Big Dumper, Cal Raleigh, who singled earlier in the game. But certainly impressive to hold the league’s home run leader to nothing. The next at-bat he struck Rodriguez out looking in the top of the sixth inning as well for his eighth strikeout of the game. That was the final pitch of the game for Nolan as Mendoza came out and made a pitching switch, much to the disdain of the Mets’ faithful who booed rather loudly before showering McLean with love as he made his way to the dugout.