New York Mets rookie pitcher Zac Thornton views his upcoming Subway Series start as an opportunity to disrupt the New York Yankees' American League East title aspirations. Thornton, who has emerged as a surprise contributor for the Mets this season, understands the significance of playing spoiler against a team vying for a division championship.
"We want to be spoilers to some people’s seasons," Thornton told The Post on Friday. "We did a little bit of that last week in Miami — that felt good to spoil some seasons — so we have got to keep it on."
Thornton is slated to make his Subway Series debut on Saturday. He has posted a 3.53 ERA over 12 starts for the Mets since his major league debut on May 20. In his most recent outing last Saturday against the Giants, Thornton allowed six earned runs, including four home runs, over five innings, marking the first time since his debut that he surrendered more than three earned runs.
"I think I fell into a trap of trying to be too cute early on in counts, where if I pound the zone early, I won’t really be in as many hitters’ counts as I was last week," Thornton said, reflecting on his last start. "I m just trying to do my job to get my guys in good counts."
Thornton is looking forward to the atmosphere of the Subway Series. "It will probably be the closest thing we’ll get to a playoff atmosphere this year," he said. "It’s probably really good just for my development as a pitcher, to kind of feel these crowds and see if I can rise to the occasion."
He is also familiar with at least one member of the Yankees lineup, rookie shortstop George Lombard Jr., whose minor league career largely overlapped with Thornton's. "Every single level that I have been at, I have thrown to Lombard, so it will be fun to throw to him in the big leagues," Thornton said. "We have had some good battles throughout the years. He’s a good hitter. He’s always getting the ball in play, so he’s a tough guy to strike out."
Regarding the Yankees' lineup, which includes slugger Aaron Judge, who recently returned from the injured list, Thornton expressed a focused approach. "A really good player, but at the end of the day hitting is hard, and I am going to go out and throw my stuff and see what guys can do with it," he said.