Rookie Nolan McLean delivered what the Mets needed in his MLB debut, striking out eight and flashing some clutch leather over 5 1/3 scoreless innings in a 3-1 win over the 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.

Gregory Soto relieved him to keep the Mets up 1-0, officially closing the book on McLean’s big league debut. In all, McLean tossed 91 pitches, 55 of which went for strikes. He largely used sweepers (36 percent) mixed in with sinkers (26 percent) and curveballs (21 percent).

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

With Nolan McLean gearing up for his MLB debut on Saturday, the Mets were forced to make a corresponding move and they've made it, designating Paul Blackburn for assignment.