Nolan McLean Imposes His Dominance: Mets Beat Phillies in a Historic Night
In a performance that will be etched in the memory of fans, Nolan McLean became the first pitcher for the New York Mets to win his first three starts in the MLB. On Wednesday night, McLean pitched eight masterful innings, leading his team to a resounding 6-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, completing a three-game sweep. Mark Vientos stood out with a home run and three RBIs, propelling the Mets to close within four games of the Phillies, leaders of the National League East Division. With this victory, the Mets improved their record to 7-2 against the Phillies this season, securing the season series and a potential tiebreaker for the postseason. The teams will face each other again in a four-game series in Philadelphia, from September 8 to 11. Since McLean’s debut on August 16 against Seattle, the Mets have had an impressive 8-3 record. The 24-year-old right-handed pitcher allowed only four hits and did not concede any walks, striking out six batters. With 95 pitches, he lowered his ERA to 0.89. McLean retired 15 consecutive batters after Alec Bohm’s single in the second inning and faced the minimum until Bryce Harper singled with two outs in the seventh.His 21 strikeouts also place him as the third pitcher with the most strikeouts in the first three starts of his career in Mets history, behind only Matt Harvey and Nolan Ryan. In the eighth inning, Bohm and Max Kepler singled, but McLean maintained the shutout by retiring Nick Castellanos and Bryson Stott with medium-depth fly balls, and forcing Harrison Bader to hit a ground ball to the mound. The fans at Citi Field, composed of 41,893 spectators, roared with excitement. Brooks Raley pitched a flawless ninth inning, allowing only one hit to close out the game. Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, and Pete Alonso hit consecutive RBI singles in the third inning against Taijuan Walker (4-7), who allowed four runs and 10 hits in five innings against his former team. Vientos added a simple booster in the fifth inning and a two-run home run in the seventh. Brandon Nimmo contributed three of New York’s 12 hits. As night began, New York had a 3.5-game lead over Cincinnati for the final National League wild card.McLean’s numbers make him the first pitcher in Mets history with an ERA under 1.00 and more than 20 strikeouts in his first three starts (0.89 ERA, 21 strikeouts).
Alofoke Deportes
