Right-handed pitcher Nolan McLean, the Mets' No. 3 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, will make his Major League Baseball debut on Saturday at an inopportune time, with his team mired in a horrific slump and All-Star Bryan Woo on the mound for the opposing Seattle Mariners.

The first pitch was a ball. The second, Rodríguez lined toward McLean, who fielded the ball on one hop behind his back, and then had the presence of mind to throw to second for a chance at a double-play.

The identity of the most successful New York Mets teams has been about pitching. Rarely have they been an organization fully dependent on large offensive number

Nolan McLean is as advertised. In fact, in his MLB debut, he had a start only matched by one of the most-hyped young pitchers in Mets history. McLean went 5.1 innings on Saturday and struck out eight without allowing a run.

The Seattle Mariners set a franchise record with nine doubles Friday night, when the New York Mets inched closer to a far more ignoble feat.