Mets Pitcher Shines in World Baseball Classic
If the Mets had made it to the playoffs last year, there’s a good chance Nolan McLean would have been the starting pitcher for Game 1. While that didn’t happen, he got a chance to pitch in a high-pressure situation on the world stage during the World Baseball Classic Championship. Most of the time, he showcased the talent that makes him one of baseball’s most promising players.
In a 3-2 loss to Venezuela, McLean pitched four innings, giving up four hits and two runs, while striking out four batters at Lawndepot Park in Miami.
“I felt good and I was proud of the way I fought,” McLean said when asked to rate his performance, giving it a solid 7 out of 10. “I felt great filling out the zone and tried to control it as much as I could.”
During his rookie season, he averaged 95 mph with his fastball, and against Venezuela, he consistently exceeded 98 mph.
Coach Mark DeRosa reflected on McLean’s performance, saying, “I thought Nolan had his tail cut off. We weren’t ready for him to go into the fifth inning. We thought he was going to give us three points, we thought he was going to give us four points, and we were going to go to the bullpen right away and see how the game was going. That’s a testament to him. He was unbelievable tonight.”
McLean’s outing started with a bang when Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a blistering single on the very first pitch. However, he kept his composure and quickly induced a double play, followed by a lazy fly out. The entire inning lasted just five pitches.
The second inning saw him begin with a dominating pitch, where he struck out two batters with impressive curveballs. Yet, after a couple of consecutive hits, Venezuela pushed back in the third inning. McLean let a wild pitch escape, putting two runners on, and despite a sacrifice fly that allowed a run to score, he managed to navigate the inning without further issues.
His fourth inning was smooth, marking his first shutout of the night, but he then gave up a leadoff home run to Wylya Abreu in the following inning.
“I thought Mack threw a great ball,” Bryce Harper commented. “He has a special talent. He will continue to have a special talent for a long time.”
On the other side, Venezuela’s Eduardo Rodriguez was equally impressive, mixing pitches effectively and limiting the U.S. offense. He allowed just one hit, one walk, and struck out four batters over 4¹/₃ innings.
Despite a late two-run home run by Bryce Harper that briefly tied the game in the eighth inning, McLean managed to avoid taking a loss for most of the night.
