David Peterson fascinated the Mets with his poise back in spring training. It was part of the reason why the club endorsed his jump from Double-A ball to the The Show on Tuesday night. And when the Mets needed a fifth starter to step up amid an imperfect first turn through their rotation, Peterson used his sophistication to flummox the Red Sox in a memorable big-league debut.
The left-hander limited Boston to just two runs on seven hits inside a hitter-friendly Fenway Park as a deep Mets lineup continued to resurrect itself in their 8-3 win on Tuesday night.
"We definitely always talked about having him as depth for us in the future of our starting rotation," Mets manager Luis Rojas said. "The future came today. I'm glad he got the call."
Peterson, 24, became the first Mets starter to earn the win in his major-league debut since Steven Matz defeated the Reds on June 28, 2015 at Citi Field.
The Mets selected Peterson in the first round of the 2017 draft and he climbed up the team's minor-league ladder, turning heads along the way for his ability to be a pitcher, not a thrower. He was ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Mets' 10th-best prospect before making his MLB debut.
On Tuesday night, he registered three strikeouts over 5.2 innings and 78 pitches. J.D. Davis helped calm Peterson's debut jitters with a terrific play in left field for the southpaw's first major-league out. Jose Pereza lined a single off the Green Monster in the first inning. But Davis barehanded the ricochet and fired to second base to get the leadoff hitter out _ by a mile.
Peterson, grateful for his left fielder's defense, smiled after the play and fell into a groove. The left-hander retired 11 of his next 15 batters, but his most impressive escape job came in the third inning. Peterson loaded the bases with nobody out and, after a quick mound visit from Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, the 24-year-old got Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez to whiff on a 3-2 slider. The strikeout helped Peterson limit the damage to just one run in the third inning.
Rojas informed Peterson early Tuesday morning that he would be making his big-league debut in Boston. Rojas said the southpaw was even-keeled, despite the quick turnaround time, and kept telling his manager he was ready for the bright lights.
"Everything was very professional, just the way he is, just the way he's always been in our conversations," Rojas said.
