<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-nolan-mclean-rookie-starters-dominate-amid-wild-card-race');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mets’ Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, Jonah Tong dominate amid Wild Card race');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Mets-rookie-phenom-Nolan-McLean-deals-on-the-mound.jpg"><figcaption>Eric Hartline-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Mets’ Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, Jonah Tong dominate amid Wild Card race</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-19T10:06:06-07:00">September 19th, 10:06am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-19T10:06:27-07:00">September 19th, 10:06am</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The signs were there. Sean Manaea was a prime regression candidate, Kodai Senga faced serious durability concerns in 2024 (10 1/3 innings pitched in regular season and playoffs), Clay Holmes was unlikely to ever be a workhorse after spending the last several years of his career as a reliever and Frankie Montas has not been a productive hurler since the first half of 2022. The New York Mets’ starting pitching rotation appeared doomed before the new campaign even began.</p><p>Following an initial wave of collective dominance, the cracks started forming. A severe rupture then occurred, which contributed to the club’s plunge in the National League standings. Though, thanks to a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-rival-scout-drops-nasty-take-new-york-young-saviors">trio of rookie right-handers</a>, the Mets are still holding onto a playoff slot with nine games remaining in the regular season. There is a realistic possibility they end up sparing Flushing from one of the most catastrophic outcomes in modern MLB history.</p><p>Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat and Jonah Tong, all of whom made their MLB debuts within three weeks of each other, have <a href="https://x.com/SNY_Mets/status/1969033448867172604" rel="noopener">combined to pitch 17 scoreless innings</a> of 15-hit ball with 18 strikeouts and two walks in their most recent starts, via SNY. This youthful revolution is not adding energy into the clubhouse. It is desperately needed.</p><h2><b>Can the desperate Mets trust their youngsters to push them into the playoffs?</b></h2><p>Although their arrivals have not fixed all the Mets’ problems — the team lost eight straight games earlier this month before <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-pete-alonso-losing-streak-walk-off-home-run-rangers">Pete Alonso erupted</a> — they are coming through when it matters most. McLean has been terrific since debuting on Aug. 16, posting a 4-1 record with a 1.19 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 37 2/3 innings of work. He has tossed at least five innings in all six of his starts, immediately conducting himself like a modern ace. If New York (79-74) maintains its two-game lead over both the Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks and claims the final Wild Card slot, the 24-year-old will be a major reason why.</p><p>Sproat is also providing a big boost, allowing only three runs on nine hits in 12 innings. Tong has been more erratic in his four outings, surrendering six runs to the Texas Rangers on Sept. 12, while also <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-brandon-nimmo-gives-young-ace-strong-support">shutting out the San Diego Padres</a> for five frames on Thursday. These three pitchers each offer their own brand of promise, and New York is hoping to benefit for a long time.</p><p>Trusting three inexperienced talents to take the mound in high-pressure situations down the stretch and potentially in October is certainly not ideal, and it probably could have been avoided if president of baseball operations David Stearns made some different choices in the offseason, but it is making for a solid backup plan at the moment.</p><p>The Mets welcome the Washington Nationals (62-91) into Citi Field for a three-game set this weekend. Brandon Sproat will start on Friday and Nolan McLean will try to clinch the series on Saturday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mets’ Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, Jonah Tong dominate amid Wild Card race

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/new-york-mets/brandon-sproats-reaction-removal-mets-rangers-game');   ga('set', 'title', 'Brandon Sproat’s honest reaction to removal from crucial Mets-Rangers game');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/New-York-Mets-starting-pitcher-Brandon-Sproat.jpg"><figcaption>Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Brandon Sproat’s honest reaction to removal from crucial Mets-Rangers game</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-13T17:46:55-07:00">September 13th, 5:46pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-13T17:47:40-07:00">September 13th, 5:47pm</time><address><a>Zachary Howell</a>Zachary Howell is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints focusing on creating premier MLB content. He is a big fan of the Yankees, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Syracuse Orange. In his free time, he likes to be outside or read.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New York Mets’ starting rotation has been a major ongoing issue this season. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-sean-manaea-breaks-silence-on-carlos-mendoza-convo-in-loss-to-phillies">Mets manager Carlos Mendoza is dealing with drama in his pitching staff</a> as his team fights for a playoff spot. Fortunately, Brandon Sproat cruised through the first six innings of his start against the Texas Rangers on Saturday. However, Mendoza pulled him and eventually, Edwin Diaz lost the game.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/mets-news-brandon-sproat-no-hitter-6th-inning-mlb-debut">Sproat has turned heads since arriving in the major leagues</a> less than a week ago. Despite another good start, Mendoza refused to give the rookie starter a longer leash. He turned the game over to his relievers, who have been inconsistent for the past couple of weeks. Tyler Rodgers and Diaz gave up one earned run each, with Diaz giving up the go-ahead run in the ninth inning.</p><p>Sproat spoke about his start with SNY, saying that he was <a href="https://twitter.com/SNYtv/status/1967011888119661046" rel="noopener">happy with his performance</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"Just go out there and compete, just fill the strike zone up"</p><p>Brandon Sproat talks about his outing today: <a href="https://t.co/xSgXx6ezIq">pic.twitter.com/xSgXx6ezIq</a></p><p>— SNY (@SNYtv) <a href="https://twitter.com/SNYtv/status/1967011888119661046?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“Just go out there and compete, just fill the strike zone up,” Sproat said. “I thought the sinker was working really well. I was getting a bunch of ground balls and quick outs.”</p><p>Mets fans could not help but be curious as to why Mendoza decided to pull Sproat from what was an effective start. New York’s manager spoke to SNY and other reporters about the call, saying that it was because of a <a href="https://twitter.com/SNYtv/status/1967010867716751769" rel="noopener">significant drop in pitch velocity</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"Even though it was only 70 pitches, when you looked up in that sixth inning, there was a big-time velo drop. We're talking about five, six MPH there from 97-98 to 93, and there were some hard-hit balls there."</p><p>– Carlos Mendoza on removing Brandon Sproat at 70 pitches: <a href="https://t.co/GhpaLGU6BG">pic.twitter.com/GhpaLGU6BG</a></p><p>— SNY (@SNYtv) <a href="https://twitter.com/SNYtv/status/1967010867716751769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“Even though it was only 70 pitches, when you looked up in that sixth inning, there was a big-time velo drop. We’re talking about five, six MPH there from 97-98 to 93, and there were some hard-hit balls there,” Mendoza said. “When I saw that sixth inning, I wasn’t going to take any chances.”</p><p>After the loss, New York is tied with the Cincinnati Reds for the final National League Wild Card spot. Mendoza has less than two weeks to get back on track and have his team in the postseason. However, his pitching decisions have some Mets fans nervous as the season winds down.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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Mets’ Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, Jonah Tong dominate amid Wild Card race

Brandon Sproat’s honest reaction to removal from crucial Mets-Rangers game

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