The Mets’ week was packed with numbers that ranged from the dazzling to the downright strange, and the stat sheet kept turning up new wrinkles almost every day. From a one-pitch start to rookie milestones and franchise leaderboard movement, there was no shortage of oddities worth a second look.
Tuesday brought a pair of notable rookie markers. Zac Thornton became the first Mets pitcher with at least six quality starts in his first 10 career games since Steven Matz.
Since 2000, the only other Mets pitchers to do that were Dillon Gee, Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, and Noah Syndergaard. Carson Benge also kept stacking up big nights, collecting his 11th three-hit game of the season and passing Pete Alonso’s Mets rookie record of 10 from 2019.
And Christopher Morel’s eighth-inning ground out came off the bat at 114.6 mph, the second-hardest-hit ball by a Met this season.
Wednesday produced one of the stranger pitching notes you’ll see all year. Dustin May needed just one pitch to complete his start, giving him the shortest outing for an opposing starting pitcher in Mets franchise history.
The previous franchise mark belonged to Cubs right-hander Frank Castillo, who retired Vince Coleman on three pitches before leaving with a right shoulder strain at Wrigley Field on August 10, 1991. At Citi Field, the old low-water mark was Bartolo Colon’s four-pitch start against the Royals on June 21, 2016, when Whit Merrifield lined a ball off Colon’s right hand.
Thursday belonged to Jackson Chourio in a big way. Brett Baty’s 106.8 mph line out off Jacob Misiorowski was the fifth-hardest-hit batted ball anyone has hit off Miz’s four-seam fastball over his two-year career, but Chourio’s night was the one that really filled up the page.
He became the fifth player ever to post four or more hits, two or more homers, and at least one stolen base in a game against the Mets, joining George Altman (May 15, 1962), Maury Wills (May 30, 1962), Steve Finley (May 30, 1999), and Ozzie Albies (June 30, 2021). He also became the first player, home or visiting, to do it at Citi Field.
Chourio’s success at the ballpark has been no fluke either. He’s batting .353 with three homers and a 1.036 OPS in eight career games at Citi Field, where he made his debut on Opening Day in 2024.
Among players with at least 35 plate appearances there, that OPS ranks 12th all-time. Troy Tulowitzki sits first with a 1.368 OPS in 58 career plate appearances at Citi Field, followed by Brandon Lowe and Miguel Cabrera.
The Brewers, meanwhile, have owned the recent regular-season matchup, going 20-6 against the Mets over their last 26 meetings dating back to September 21, 2022. The Mets also took their 12th loss of the season in a game where they finished with three hits or fewer, tying them for the second-most such games in MLB this season behind only the Guardians, who have 13.
Friday added another clean line to Nate Lavender’s early resume. He logged a 10th straight scoreless appearance to begin his career, matching left-hander Jack Leathersich, who debuted in 2015, for the most scoreless appearances to open a Mets career. Joe Smith, who debuted in 2007, still owns the franchise record with 17.
Saturday was loaded with franchise context, and Nolan McLean was at the center of it. His 2.83 ERA through 35 career games is ninth-best among Mets pitchers with a minimum of five innings per outing. The list ahead of him includes Jerry Koosman (2.30), Matt Harvey (2.38), Dwight Gooden (2.47), Jacob deGrom (2.56), Jon Matlack (2.64), Kodai Senga (2.74), Tom Seaver (2.76), and Noah Syndergaard (2.82).
McLean’s recent run has been even sharper. Over his last 11 starts, he has thrown 66.1 innings with a 1.76 ERA, making him the ninth Met since 2000 to put together an 11-game single-season stretch with an ERA under 2.00 while averaging at least six innings per outing.
That group includes Johan Santana, R.A. Dickey, Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Steven Matz, Zack Wheeler, and Max Scherzer.
He also logged his 18th start of six or more innings this season, tied for sixth-most in the majors. For the Mets, that already ties for the third-most in a season since 2020, behind Chris Bassitt’s 23 in 2022 and Max Scherzer’s 19 in 2022.
Francisco Lindor added another major milestone of his own, hitting his 155th home run as a Met to pass Dave Kingman for sixth on the franchise’s all-time list. A.J.
Ewing swiped his 22nd stolen base of the season, tying Lee Mazzilli’s 1977 total for second-most by a Mets rookie, with only Mookie Wilson’s 24 in 1981 ahead of him.
Thornton’s season-long work also drew another comparison point. His 2.93 ERA through 11 career games is 12th-best among Mets pitchers with a minimum of five innings per outing, sitting behind Nolan McLean (2.23), Jim McAndrew (2.26), Tom Seaver (2.43), Matt Harvey (2.44), Steven Matz (2.52), Rob Gardner (2.59), Anthony Young (2.62), Rick Aguilera (2.74), Masato Yoshii (2.77), Nolan Ryan (2.85), and Jason Isringhausen (2.92).
One final team note rounded out the week: the Mets have now gone 11 seasons without a Gold Glove Award winner, with Juan Lagares in 2014 their last one. That is the second-longest drought in the majors, behind only the Nationals, whose last winner was Adam LaRoche in 2012.
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Luis Robert Jr. ending up with the Orioles after the Mets declined his club option is the most visible example so far of how fine that line can be. It is not just about one missed opportunity, either, because the broader concern now is whether the Mets are making enough bold, calculated bets to keep pace while still protecting themselves from the kind of mistakes that can haunt a roster for months. [Read more 🡒]
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Orioles Just Landed A Surprise Chance To Test Their Roster Plans
After the Mets were unable to work out a trade before the 2026 deadline, they placed outfielder Luis Robert Jr. on waivers and moved on quickly when the Orioles stepped in to claim him. The transaction clears Roberts $20 million salary off New Yorks books and opens a roster spot at a time when the Mets are still sorting out the edges of their roster for the stretch run.
Robert leaves New York after a brief, uneven run that still hinted at the upside that made him such a notable trade chip in the first place. He hit .222 with a .737 OPS in 34 games overall, but his last 19 games with the Mets were far more encouraging, as he settled in with a .262 average and a .930 OPS before Baltimore seized the chance to take a look for itself. [Read more 🡒]