When Christian Scott takes the mound for the first time at Citi Field on Saturday, he will wear No. 45.
Although he said he didn’t choose the jersey number, Scott not only draws comparisons to Zack Wheeler, who also wore that number with the Mets, Scott also draws comparisons to fellow former Met’s son Pedro. He reportedly played high school baseball with Martinez Jr. He wore a 45.
It was back at Calvary Christian High School in Fort Lauderdale that Pedro Martinez spent time around the team and tried to introduce his changeup to Scott.
“He had big hands and really flexible fingers,” Scott said Friday of the Hall of Famer. “He almost killed someone trying to throw the changeup he taught me.”
Scott was perfectly fine without it.
In his MLB debut with Tampa Bay last Saturday, the 24-year-old made an impression when he allowed just one run in 6/3 innings pitched at Tropicana Field.
Scott’s next test will be pitching in front of the crowd that has been waiting for him since he was a fifth-round pick out of the University of Florida in 2021 and emerged as the organization’s top pitching prospect this season.
“I’m excited to pitch for them,” Scott said of the fans. “They treated me great until I came along. My dream since I got drafted here was to pitch in front of them. I went out there and gave everything I had every time. I’m going to give it to them.”
It’s a sentiment his new teammate Luis Severino can relate to.
Severino joined the team in August 2015 after an outstanding season in the minors.
Unlike Scott, Severino’s first game was at home in the Bronx against the Red Sox.
“The day before was overwhelming,” Severino said of Friday. “I was in Manhattan and there were a lot of signs that said, ‘Severino will be on the pitch tomorrow.’ I saw my name everywhere, even in the cab.”
But the next day was different.
“When I got on the field and threw out the first pitch, it was just regular baseball,” Severino said. “I knew I deserved to be there, and he knows he deserved to be here. He’s ready for this challenge.”
Scott will get a chance to prove himself Saturday, but he remembered how one of his favorite players performed on the mound growing up in Coconut Creek, Florida.
“I loved Jose Fernandez,” Scott said of the former Marlins star, who died in a boating accident in 2016. The atmosphere he created. When he pitches, the crowd will crowd. ”
Despite his connections to other elite right-handers, Scott said he doesn’t seek to emulate any of them.
“They’re great pitchers, but I’m trying to be the best version of myself,” Scott said.
