NEW YORK — The boos have come in waves for the Mets in the midst of a stretch of 14 losses in 16 games, but the only jeers for Nolan McLean in his debut came when the fans were yearning for more.
The top pitching prospect delivered some badly-needed optimism on Saturday afternoon at Citi Field.
With a vast repertoire and a refined knack for spinning the baseball, McLean dazzled in his first big league start, holding the Mariners, who erupted for 11 runs one night earlier, scoreless across 5⅓ innings.
McLean performance galvanized the Mets and their fans on their way to a much-needed 3-1 victory over the Mariners in front of a sold-out crowd of 42,978 fans in Flushing.
When Carlos Mendoza pulled the plug following McLean's eighth strikeout, with a runner on first and one out in the sixt