Mets rookie Zac Thornton extends scoreless streak to earn first MLB win

New York Mets starting pitcher Zac Thornton. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Mets rookie Zac Thornton extends scoreless streak to earn first MLB win

By Mike J. Asti | Last updated Jul 21, 2026 11:47 PM ET

What's been a rough season for the New York Mets has still included some bright spots.

One of those occurred on Tuesday, as a rookie pitcher achieved a major career milestone after failing multiple times throughout the season.

Two months after making his MLB debut, Zac Thornton earned his first MLB win. Thornton left with the personal victory thanks to pitching six shutout innings as part of the Mets' 4-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.

Zac Thornton extended his scoreless streak and earned his first MLB win

Thornton allowed only three hits, recorded just two strikeouts and one walk. He extended his scoreless innings steak to 18 as well.

In his previous outing, Thornton struck out five batters while giving up only two hits and no runs. However, the Mets were unable to support their starting pitcher and suffered a 3-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox.

Th0️⃣rnt0️⃣n pic.twitter.com/35TvjJLswe
— New York Mets (@Mets) July 22, 2026

Zac Thornton has been solid since his rocky MLB debut

The left-hander, who the Mets drafted in the fifth round in 2023, was on the mound on two other occasions to this point. He initially struggled on May 20, letting the Washington Nationals put four runs on the board, including a home run, in his first career loss.

Much better a month later with the rival Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field, Thornton registered seven strikeouts in a no-decision that the Mets lost due to a lack of run support on June 26.

Zac Thornton has mostly performed admirably when on the mound this season

So even though it took Thornton four starts to officially win a game, he's mostly shown an ability to handle MLB hitting following his shaky debut.

Overall, Thornton is 1-1 with a 1.93 ERA, 17 strikeouts and a 0.86 WHIP in 23.1 innings of work.

As for the Mets as a team, they're now 43-59 and still stuck in the basement of the National League East.

Mike J. Asti

Mike Asti is an experienced media personality and journalist with a vast resume and skillset, most notably from time with TribLIVE Radio and WPXI-TV. Asti now serves as the Managing Editor of WV Sports Now, where he leads the coverage of WVU sports. He has also covered the Steelers, Penguins, Pirates and other teams within the Pittsburgh market

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