McLean joined Matt Harvey as the only pitchers in Mets history to earn a win, strike out eight or more and allow zero runs in their debut.

The first pitch was a ball. The second, Rodríguez lined toward McLean, who fielded the ball on one hop behind his back, and then had the presence of mind to throw to second for a chance at a double-play.

The identity of the most successful New York Mets teams has been about pitching. Rarely have they been an organization fully dependent on large offensive number

The Mets' top pitching prospect tossed five scoreless innings against the Seattle Mariners in his first MLB start.

New York Mets right-hander Nolan McLean made a successful big-league debut on Saturday afternoon in a win against the Seattle Mariners ( box score ). McLean held the Mariners without a run (earned or otherwise) over 5 1/3 innings, in the process becoming the first debuting Mets pitcher in more than a dozen years to accomplish the feat.

There are many culprits. A starry, highly paid lineup main four of Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo has lacked enough clutch impact. A refortified bullpen has been central to blowing leads in each of the seven games going into Saturday.

McLean throws with incredible spin, which has fueled his rise through the minors: "He can make the ball do crazy stuff."

As reported by SNY's Andy Martino, one scout believes the Mets made the right call in opting for McLean over Sproat, noting that McLean is slightly ahead in his development.