Rookie pitcher Zac Thornton faced adversity for the first time in his major league career on Saturday, allowing four runs in 4 ⅔ innings as the New York Mets lost to the Miami Marlins 6-2. The outing came on a day the Mets organization celebrated the 38th anniversary of their 1986 World Series title.
Despite the loss, Thornton's performance offered some encouragement. "If there is a quality that the ’86 Mets personified, it probably would be the fight that Thornton demonstrated Saturday afternoon," the New York Post reported. The 24-year-old rookie has been a bright spot for the struggling Mets (47-65) since his call-up in late June, entering Saturday's game with a 1.42 ERA over his previous four starts.
Thornton's outing began with a run scoring in the first inning, partly due to a Francisco Lindor error and baserunning by Otto Lopez. The Marlins then capitalized in the second inning, with Javier Sanoja hitting a two-run home run that contributed to three runs scoring before Thornton recorded a fourth out. This marked a stark contrast to his previous starts, where he had allowed only four runs in 25 ⅓ innings combined.
The Marlins loaded the bases in that second inning but managed only one more run before Thornton induced a fly out. He later encountered trouble in the fourth, allowing a leadoff single and hitting a batter, but limited the damage to a single sacrifice fly. He was pulled after 94 pitches, which included three walks and two strikeouts, with his velocity noted as being slightly down.
The Mets' offense struggled, with their only scoring coming from a two-run home run by Tyrone Taylor. "These Mets games don’t matter, but Thornton — who was called up for good in late June and entered play having allowed four runs in 25 ⅓ innings (1.42 ERA) in four starts since — does," the Post noted. While the results were not ideal, Thornton's ability to limit damage without his best stuff was seen as a valuable lesson learned.
