The New York Mets entered Sunday on an eight-game losing streak, and had their rookie star pitcher Nolan McLean set to make his sixth start of the season.
Through his first five games, McLean on the mound meant good things for New York. The Mets were 4-1 through his first five starts, with the lone loss being a 1-0 game.
That continued on Sunday, as McLean twirled six shutout innings. The Mets’ rookie allowed five hits and two walks, and struck out seven batters in the Mets’ 5-2 extra-inning win.
Nolan McLean Makes History in Dominant Outing
McLean has been lights out since he made his major league debut on Aug. 16. The Mets’ rookie has a 1.20 ERA across his first 37.2 major league innings. McLean has given up just five total runs and 12 walks, meanwhile, he’s struck out 40 batters and has a 0.982 WHIP.
In Sunday’s latest spectacular outing, McLean etched his name into the Mets’ history books. The rookie set the Mets’ franchise record for lowest ERA through six starts. McLean’s 1.19 ERA passed Terry Leach (1.73) and Nolan Ryan (1.98) as the only other two Mets to have an ERA below two through six starts.
Nolan McLean is the first @Mets pitcher EVER to begin his career with 6 consecutive starts of 5+ IP and 2 R or fewer!
His ERA is down to 1.19 𤊠pic.twitter.com/FPUQxLVaVq
Nolan McLean is the only pitcher in MLB HISTORY with an ERA below 1.20 and 40+ Kâs in their first 6 career starts đ¤Ż
The rookie has stepped up in an incredible way when the Mets needed it most. pic.twitter.com/FxyOhgvV1z
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) September 15, 2025
The run McLean has been on to start his career has been truly incredible. The 24-year-old has thrown three scoreless outings, four quality starts, and pitched at least six innings in four of his six starts.
McLean has also faced strong opponents during this stretch. Four of the five teams he’s faced are in the playoff hunt, including two games against the division-leading Philadelphia Phillies and one against the Detroit Tigers, who have the second-best record in the American League.
As the Mets have struggled since the end of July, and especially the start of August, McLean has been the exception. The rookie has delivered exceptional outings every time he’s been on the mound and has kept the Mets’ in the wild card race.
Nolan McLean is the only pitcher in MLB HISTORY with an ERA below 1.20 and 40+ Kâs in their first 6 career starts đ¤Ż
The rookie has stepped up in an incredible way when the Mets needed it most. pic.twitter.com/FxyOhgvV1z
https://twitter.com/JustBB_Media/status/1967589390395580891?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1967589390395580891%7Ctwgr%5Ea85d606d03a3a8297553b9bd9680b7f0bc4a222d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportingnews.com%2Fus%2Fmlb%2Fnew-york-mets%2Fnews%2Frookie-nolan-mclean-did-something-sunday-no-mets-players-has-ever-done%2Fd7475661532bf79725ea11b4
New York currently holds the final wild card spot in the National League with 12 games left, but the Arizona Diamondbacks, San Francisco Giants and Cincinnati Reds are right on its heals.
The Mets should get two more starts out of McLean down the final stretch of the season, with his next appearance lining up to be against the Washington Nationals.
