Mets rookie pitcher Nolan McLean endured a difficult outing Friday night, giving up a career-high 10 hits, including two home runs, in a 6-4 loss to the Yankees. The defeat marked McLean’s Subway Series debut and snapped a streak of strong performances.
McLean was removed after five innings, having thrown 101 pitches. The Yankees inflicted most of their damage in the second inning when Cody Bellinger hit a three-run homer. In the fifth, Ben Rice added to the Mets’ deficit with a solo home run. "If you don’t have your best stuff, teams are going to beat you," McLean said after the game. "I didn’t have my best stuff tonight, and the Yankees are a good team. They came out and beat me."
The right-hander had previously excelled in his rookie season, allowing two earned runs or fewer in five consecutive starts and pitching at least six innings in 13 of his previous 14 outings. However, he struggled from the outset against the Yankees. McLean allowed three singles and a walk in the first inning, leading to a 1-0 deficit. He managed to escape further damage in that inning by inducing a double play, but the struggles continued.
In the second inning, after yielding consecutive singles to Anthony Volpe and Rice, McLean gave up Bellinger's home run on a full-count curveball. It was the first career home run he had allowed on a curveball. "There’s some pitches I probably could have thrown a little bit better, and there’s times in a game, too, where you make pitches and they don’t find gloves," McLean reflected. "It felt like those first two innings a lot of that was happening. Bellinger with a big swing, that kind of sealed the deal and a lot of the damage in that second inning."
Despite the pitching difficulties, McLean acknowledged the significance of the game, which included pregame ceremonies honoring the 25th anniversary of 9/11. "Awesome fans, awesome city," he said. "I think ultimately that is what is most important about tonight: People who died trying to help others and people who were in those buildings. It’s awesome to see that many people show up and support it."