It was a night of high tension at Wrigley Field, but it ended in triumph for the New York Mets, who secured a critical 8-5 win over the Chicago Cubs to keep their postseason hopes alive. With the spotlight on rookie Nolan McLean—entrusted with the moment despite fewer than 10 big league starts—the Mets showed resilience in a game that carried the weight of October before October.

The 24-year-old right-hander was far from flawless, surrendering multiple home runs and exiting in the sixth inning, but each inning brought moments of grit and resilience. Strikeout after strikeout piled up, and the Mets’ offense gave him just enough breathing room to carry the weight of a playoff race.

By the time he walked off the mound, McLean had recorded a career-high 11 strikeouts. “You try to look at the

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