Paul Blackburn‘s time with the New York Mets has been difficult. A multitude of injuries, most notably a spinal fluid leak, ended his season prematurely in 2024. Then, as Blackburn was getting ready for the 2025 season, he had to put things on pause due to an inflamed knee and the flu. After a series of rehab starts, he returned to the big leagues Monday. The Mets could not have drawn up a better season debut for Blackburn, as he threw five shutout innings in their 4-3 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Paul Blackburn (58) – Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

Returning to the big leagues against one of the top offenses in baseball can cause all kinds of problems. Not for Blackburn. Over the first four innings, they were only able to get two singles and a walk against Blackburn. No Dodger got into scoring position through four. Then, things got dicey in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Tommy Edman reached via an error. Two batters later, Hyeseong Kim singled to put two runners on for Shohei Othani. A big moment. Blackburn had already struck the reigning MVP out twice on the night. Othani worked it to a 3-1 count but Blackburn was able to get soft contact, getting him to groundout to first base.

Limiting the Dodgers three hits, none of which were for extra bases, was impressive. What made Blackburn’s outing so interesting is the fact he didn’t throw a single four-seam fastball. He went with a cutter, changeup, sinker, curveball and a slider against the Dodgers. Last season, Blackburn used his four-seam fastball 19.5% of the time, his second-most used pitch. Adjusting his mix (becoming a staple of the Mets) clearly paid off, as the Dodgers were unable to create much traffic against him.

What’s next for Blackburn is a fascinating conversation. The Mets needed a sixth starter during this 10-game stretch without a day off. After that, who knows. “We got to wait and see but there is a good chance he [Blackburn] will go back to the bullpen for now and then we will go from there,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. He has now made 87 appearances in his big league career. Only four of them has come as as a reliever, will all of them coming as a member of the Athletics. He’s heading towards an adjustment period.

“I think my role here is a little different,” Blackburn said. “I’m just gonna be ready to pitch when they want me to pitch. I’m not blind to the guys that are coming off the IL here soon.” With Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas likely to return over the next month, finding a role for Blackburn is going to be tricky. If he wants to stick around, working as the long man in the bullpen is his best path to do so.