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McLean's Stuff Impresses Yankees Despite Tough Outing
12 Sep
Summary
- Yankees hitters focused on zone decisions against McLean's difficult pitches.
- Nolan McLean's previous starts showed consistent innings and low earned runs.
- Aaron Judge acknowledged McLean as one of the game's top young pitchers.
The New York Yankees managed a 6-4 win against the Mets on Friday, with Nolan McLean experiencing a challenging but notable outing. Despite giving up a career-high 10 hits, the Yankees' hitters were impressed with McLean's pitching arsenal.
Key to the Yankees' strategy was controlling the strike zone against McLean's deceptive pitches. Manager Aaron Boone noted excellent swing decisions, emphasizing the need to force McLean to throw within the zone due to his fastball velocity and pitch movement. Ben Rice commented on the difficulty of facing McLean, stating his stuff is nasty and moves in various directions.
McLean had previously demonstrated remarkable consistency, completing at least 6.0 innings in 13 of his last 14 starts and allowing two or fewer earned runs in 15 of his last 17. These statistics had positioned him as a contender for the NL Rookie of the Year award.
Despite Friday's performance, McLean's reputation among elite hitters remains strong. Aaron Judge, acknowledging McLean as one of the best young pitchers in the game, praised his stuff. Judge highlighted the Yankees' ability to score against him and secure the win.
