Nolan McLean certainly made a mark in his recent outing.
NBC Sports Philadelphia featured commentators Tom McCarthy and John Kruk, who lauded the Mets rookie after his impressive performance against the Phillies in a 6-0 win on Wednesday.
“I’ve seen (Paul) Skenes pitch a couple of times,” McCarthy mentioned. “Sure, we’ve seen other pitchers throw well, but (McLean) was something else.”
Skenes, a two-time MLB All-Star, is the reigning NL rookie and currently has a stellar 2.07 ERA. He was the Pirates’ first overall pick in 2023.
Wednesday posed quite the challenge for McLean, facing a formidable Phillies lineup that was aiming to avoid a sweep, yet he managed to hold his ground.
He pitched through six innings without yielding a run, even when the Phillies threatened in the eighth inning, putting runners on first and third with no outs.
Despite this, McLean secured two flyouts and a groundout, keeping the score at 6-0.
His six hits allowed boosted his record to 3-0, with an impressive ERA of 0.89.
“What can we say?” remarked McCarthy. “Sometimes you run into a pitcher who just dominates the game. No matter how the Phillies performed, Nolan McLean was a force to be reckoned with.”
Kruk echoed the praise and noted McLean’s composure.
“Even if the Phillies had won the first two games of the series, that kid wouldn’t have changed anything in his approach,” Kruk said. “He’s going to be a significant challenge for every team ahead. His stuff is the best I’ve seen this season.”
The Mets have a slight advantage over the Phillies, leading the season series 7-2, which gives them a tiebreaker in the NL East standings.
The teams are set to clash again in Philadelphia from September 8 to 11, a series that could determine if the Phillies can retain their NL East title or if the Mets pull off an unexpected upset.
If all goes as planned, McLean might take the mound in that series, assuming no changes in the Mets’ pitching rotation.
