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.

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.

In his Major League debut, Nolan McLean was never likely to avoid trouble altogether. It’s what McLean did once trouble found him that mattered most. McLean reached behind his back to stab a Julio Rod