After five seasons in the Mets minor-league system, two elbow surgeries and a detour to the Tampa Bay organization, Nate Lavender entered a major-league game for the first time Tuesday with two outs and two on to face Travis Bazzana with the Mets up 5-2 in the seventh inning at Cleveland.
He struck him out looking at a 92 mph fastball. He threw a scoreless eighth inning, too.
“I think what really energizes a group of guys is having a guy make a debut, come in and get a huge out in a tough situation against a very good hitter,” Andy Green said. “And then go back out there and throw really well the next inning. I thought the dugout was as alive in that Nate Lavender punch-out as it’s been in some time. And I think that really just hopefully is a catalyst for us to bring some energy with these new guys we got here.”
The Mets (48-66) won 6-2 at Progressive Field in front of 24,636, which included a cheering section of Lavender’s family and friends, some of whom arrived at 5 a.m. via train from Syracuse because there were no direct flights between the cities.
“You have to enjoy the small moments,” Lavender said.
The Mets drafted Lavender in the 14th round in 2021 from the University of Illinois. He performed well at each minor-league stop, but in May 2024 he injured his left elbow, needed internal brace surgery and the Mets left him unprotected that offseason in the Rule 5 draft. The Rays picked him up, but a setback required another elbow surgery and he missed all of 2025. The Rays designated him for assignment, he cleared waivers and was returned to the Mets.
“All that doesn’t matter, it’s part of the journey and (the debut) feels absolutely unbelievable,” Lavender said.
The 26-year-old pitched to a 3.27 ERA and 1.09 WHIP while striking out 70 and walking 16 in 43 innings for Triple-A Syracuse this season.
“It’s awesome,” winning pitcher Sean Manaea (3-5) said of Lavender’s winding path to the big leagues. “You kind of pay attention, you know what Lav’s been through. He had to … scratch and claw and get his way here and then to have an outing like that is so cool. To be able to witness that as a human being, it’s awesome. You love to hear stories like that. He’s a great dude and just super happy that he had an outing like tonight. It’s a culmination of all the hard work he’s put in.”
