Jun 24, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Frankie Montas (47) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Brad Penner-Imagn Images

New York Mets waste Frankie Montas' strong debut

Originally posted on New York Mets on SI
By Logan VanDine | Last updated Jun 24, 2025 10:51 PM ET

On a night when the New York Mets let a 3-0 lead get away from them in their 7-4 loss against the Atlanta Braves, which resulted in them dropping their tenth game out of their last 11, there was a bright spot.

Frankie Montas made his much-anticipated Mets debut against the Braves on Tuesday, seemingly exceeding expectations. The righty tossed five scoreless innings against Atlanta, striking out five on three hits while issuing three walks on 80 pitches.

New York signed Montas to a two-year, $34 million deal during the offseason with an opt-out after this season and was forced to miss the first three months of the season after suffering a high-grade lat strain during spring training.

Five scoreless innings for Frankie Montas in his Mets debut! pic.twitter.com/HColiG5lCe
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) June 25, 2025

The Mets could not have asked for a much better start from Montas after struggling mightily during his rehab starts, posting a 12.05 ERA in those six outings. Even though New York's bullpen gave up seven runs after Montas exited in the sixth inning, this start was certainly a step in the right direction for the 32-year-old.

Despite the Mets' latest bullpen woes, which overshadowed Montas' strong Mets debut, manager Carlos Mendoza was certainly pleased by his performance.

"I thought he was good," Mendoza said. "I thought the ball was coming out well. A heavy sinker, 97, 98 [mph], attacked. I thought there were some cutters, some short sliders, they didn't chase his split[ter]. Overall, got groundballs there, threw strikes, he looked strong, he gave us a chance."

"I thought he was good. I thought the ball was coming out well"

Carlos Mendoza talks about what he saw from Frankie Montas tonight: pic.twitter.com/pf38yzeE7w
— SNY (@SNYtv) June 25, 2025

The Mets are hoping Montas can build off this encouraging start and be an essential piece to a Mets pitching staff that has struggled out of the rotation and bullpen during the team's recent woes.

This article first appeared on New York Mets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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