Nolan MacLean’s Actions Raise Eyebrows

Nolan MacLean’s recent conduct on the mound might not be as straightforward as it appears.

During a game on Tuesday, which turned into a loss for the Mets, MacLean hit his chest while signaling “Bad” after throwing a pitch that landed on the inside corner against Twins outfielder Byron Buxton in the sixth inning. The very next pitch? Buxton sent it over the fence for a two-run homer.

SNY analyst Ron Darling suggested that MacLean’s gesture could be interpreted as a subtle apology to Buxton, his teammate from the World Baseball Classic. Essentially, this means he was likely signaling that the following pitch wouldn’t be aimed at the inside corner.

“MacLean locked eyes with Buxton and seemed to communicate, ‘Bad, bad, we shouldn’t do that.’ And you know what that means for batters — they can almost guarantee the next pitch won’t be inside; it’ll move away,” he described.

Yet, when SNY reporter Steve Gelbs spoke to MacLean, he clarified that the pitcher actually apologized to catcher Francisco Alvarez instead. MacLean mentioned, “I’m sorry,” indicating a different source of regret.

MacLean explained that Alvarez had called for a backdoor sinker, but the pitch ended up too high by a few feet.

Gelbs also pointed out that MacLean intended to mix in a cutter since he had thrown seven two-seamers to Buxton in earlier at-bats.

Nevertheless, Buxton capitalized on the cutter, narrowing the Mets’ lead to 3-2.

In the ninth inning, the Twins mounted a comeback, ultimately handing the Mets a disappointing end to their recent struggles, with closer Devin Williams stumbling and sealing a 12-game losing streak.

Despite the missteps, MacLean emerged as one of the few shining stars for Queens, recording 10 strikeouts and allowing three runs over 6 2/3 innings.