Mets rookie Nolan McLean took the mound for Team USA and against Venezuela in the 2026 World Baseball Classic championship on Tuesday night, and gave his team a chance.

It was an inauspicious start for the youngster, as he threw a 98 mph first-pitch fastball to Ronald Acuña Jr., and the former NL MVP laced the pitch up the middle for a leadoff hit. McLean would bounce back, though, getting Maikel Garcia to ground into a double play, erasing Acuña. Luis Arraez then followed up by flying out to center.

McLean's second inning started off great, with the young right-hander striking out Eugenio Suarez and Gleyber Torres. Ezequiel Tovar dumped an opposite-field single before Wilyer Abreu popped out to shortstop to get through two scoreless innings.

Salvador Perez led off the top of the third with a single, but McLean struck out Jackson Chourio before walking Acuña with one out. The righty, unfortunately, shanked a curveball that got past catcher Will Smith, allowing the runners to advance.

Garcia capitalized by bringing home Perez with a sac fly, but that was the only damage in the inning as McLean induced an inning-ending Arraez groundout.

McLean's fourth inning of work was an easy 1-2-3 while throwing only 51 pitches.

Abreu, who had arguably Venezuela's biggest home run earlier in the WBC, took McLean deep on a 0-1 fastball that he launched 414 feet over the centerfield wall. That leadoff homer gave Venezuela a 2-0 lead. McLean got Perez and Chourio to pop out before Team USA manager Mark DeRosa pulled him before facing Acuña a third time.

McLean pitched 4.2 innings (63 pitches/44 strikes), allowing two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out four.

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