Mets’ Nolan McLean clears Tom Seaver’s record in Phillies beatdown

The New York Mets defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 6-0 on Wednesday night at Citi Field, completing a three-game sweep and moving within four games of first place in the NL East. Rookie pitcher Nolan McLean continued his historic start to the season, allowing four hits, striking out six, and walking none over eight shutout innings.

His ERA through three starts is 0.89, the lowest ever for a Mets pitcher starting a career, surpassing Hall of Famer Tom Seaver’s 1.19. McLean also became the first pitcher in franchise history to win his first three MLB starts.

It didn’t take long for McLean to take charge of the game. After allowing a second-inning single to Alec Bohm, he retired 15 consecutive Phillies batters and faced the minimum through three innings. He threw 95 pitches, with nearly 75% landing in the strike zone, and efficiently handled Philadelphia’s lineup, including Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto, who managed just two hits combined off him.

McLean’s only real trouble came in the eighth, when back-to-back singles put runners on the corners, but he escaped unscathed, inducing shallow flyouts and a grounder back to the mound from Harrison Bader to maintain the shutout. Brooks Raley closed the ninth, pitching a one-hit inning to finalize the five-hitter.

The Mets’ offense matched McLean’s precision. Against former Met Taijuan Walker (4-7), New York opened the third inning with five consecutive hits, including a double by Brett Baty and a bunt single by Hayden Senger, before Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, and Pete Alonso added consecutive RBI singles to stake a 3-0 lead.

Mark Vientos added an RBI single in the fifth and later a two-run homer in the seventh off Tanner Banks to break the game open at 6-0. Brandon Nimmo collected three of the Mets’ 12 hits, contributing to a series batting average of .568 with runners in scoring position.

The win improved New York to 72-61 overall and clinched the season series against Philadelphia, giving the Mets a functional tiebreaker for a potential postseason showdown. The sweep also trimmed the Phillies’ NL East lead from seven games to four. New York has won 10 consecutive games at Citi Field against Philadelphia, including playoff contests from last season. They currently sit four games ahead of Cincinnati for the final National League wild card spot.

Looking ahead, the Mets will host the Miami Marlins on Friday, with top prospect Jonah Tong set to make his Major League debut. The Phillies and Mets will meet again in a four-game series at Citizens Bank Park from September 8-11, where Philadelphia holds a 5-2 advantage at home dating back to last season.