ATLANTA (AP) — The scuffling New York Mets have been in desperate need of a starter other than David Peterson to pitch deep into games.
Making his second major league start, Nolan McLean showed his Mets teammates he’s no ordinary rookie.
McLean allowed four hits and two runs in seven innings during New York’s over the Atlanta Braves on Friday night. And manager Carlos Mendoza was even more impressed that McLean (2-0) was so composed while pitching in the home park of the Braves, the team he cheered for while growing up in Willow Spring, North Carolina, on a night when Atlanta brought out a bevy of former stars to celebrate the of its 1995 World Series championship.
“At this point, I don’t know what else to say about it,” Mendoza said of McLean’s second consecutive strong performance.
“You come in here and he’s probably got a lot of people in the stands, and against (that) team, and on a special night where they’re celebrating the 1995 team, and for him just to go out there and compete and be himself — it’s not easy to do.”
McLean has a 1.78 ERA after two outings. He became the first Mets starter besides Peterson to last even six innings since Clay Holmes on June 7.
Mendoza hopes McLean’s seven-inning start will create momentum for the staff.
“I mean, that’s in the past,” Mendoza said. “Hopefully now guys can feed off each other and (it’s) kind of contagious. And now, we’re going to need those guys. We know how important they are and we’ve got to get them going. … We’re going to need all of them.”
The Braves’ collection of Hall of Famers on the field for the pregame ceremony included pitchers Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz and third baseman Chipper Jones, who was McLean’s favorite player as a kid. Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox also returned for the ceremony.
Some might have expected McLean to avoid taking in the festivities in order to remain focused on his task. Instead, he wanted to see every second.
“I was trying to watch,” McLean said. “I think any time that you can get to watch something like that is really cool. And I mean, those guys are some of the best to do it. … That was one heck of a team they had at that time. So, I got to soak that stuff in just because it is part of the game and it’s really cool to see players coming back and getting celebrated like that.”
McLean said it was “kind of surreal” to pitch in Atlanta, knowing that Smoltz, Glavine and Maddux were watching. It was also special to see Jones.
“I was a fan of Chipper,” McLean said. “Got to meet Chipper in high school. I got to hit with him in the cage a little bit, and he was a super down-to-earth guy and a straight shooter. And I mean, it’s cool whenever your childhood hero is who you think they’re going to be.”
Mendoza said the terrific performance on such a stage showed McLean can also become a star.
“This just goes to show you, man, that this kid is special,” the manager said.
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