Gabriel Ynoa made his major league debut on Saturday night and earned his first career major league win after pitching 1.0 scoreless inning against the San Diego Padres. The Mets won the game 3-2 in 11 innings.
The last Mets pitcher to make his major league debut as a reliever and pick up the win was Kenny Greer, who made his major league debut in relief on September 29, 1993 vs. the St. Louis Cardinals.
Ynoa, 23 needed just 13 pitches to retire the Padres in order and also collect his first big-league strikeout. “I just wanted to retire the first three batters fast.” Ynoa said after the game. “I was very emotional. I was trying to soak in the experience.”
Ynoa was promoted from Triple-A Las Vegas before the game and replaced Logan Verrett who was optioned back to Las Vegas.
The right-hander was 10-5 with a 4.42 ERA in 23 starts with Las Vegas. He was signed as a non-drafted free agent on November 19, 2009.
