Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
New York Mets manager Luis Rojas announced while speaking with the media prior to Wednesday night’s game with the Atlanta Braves that rookie right-hander Tylor Megill will remain in the teams starting rotation moving forward.
Megill made just one mistake again on Tuesday night, but otherwise threw well in his second big league start. The youngster lasted five innings and allowed three runs on five hits while walking two and striking out eight in the team’s 4-3 win.
Megill cruised through the first four innings, dominating the strong Atlanta Braves lineup. He retired the first two batters in the fifth easily, but then the top of the Braves lineup got to him the third time through the order.
After back-to-back two outs singles from Ronald Acuna Jr.and Freddie Freeman, Ozzie Albies jumped on a first pitch changeup and crushed it over the right-center field fence to give the Braves a 3-0 lead.
Thankfully for both the Mets and Megill, the offense was yet again able to rally late and bail the youngster out after the solid effort. This, of course, comes just five days after he held this same Braves lineup to two runs and struck out four over 4.1 innings in his big league debut.
Megill was having a bit of a breakout season in the minors before being called-up. Over eight starts between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse, the right-hander posted a 3.35 ERA and recorded a stellar 13.2 K/9.
Despite pitching in just three games above Double-A prior to receiving the call, the 25-year old has looked cool, calm, and collected thus far in the big leagues. His battery-mate in both outings, James McCann, has certainly taken notice of the youngsters poise on the mound.
“He’s kind of like a slow-heart beat guy. Even warming up for his first big league start there was no panic, he has just kind of a too-cool-for-school type attitude.. There’s no situation too big for him, that’s been kind of neat to see his first two outings,” McCann said postgame on Tuesday.
Luis Rojas reiterated these sentiments saying Megill has been a blessing for this team that desperately needed some rotation help, and the kid has show he has “pure ice through his veins” through two starts.
“Second outing of his career and throwing some of the pitches that he threw in the zone to these batters, having the confidence to throw those pitches in hitters counts just tells it all. I can tell why this kid was putting up the numbers he did in Double-A and Triple-A,” Rojas said.
Aside from a pair of mistakes, Megill has more than looked the part thus far at the big league level. Megill has shown that he has the stuff and the composure to be an excellent piece for this team in 2021 and beyond.
He’ll look to keep his success going on the brightest stage, as he takes on the New York Yankees in the Subway Series finale on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball.
