Monday Stat Party: McLean and Tong make history

Welcome to Monday Stat Party, a new series devoted to showcasing the most eyebrow-raising, nostalgia-inducing, and often wildly obscure statistical developments from the past week of Mets baseball. These entries could be as broad as setting an MLB record or as specific as hitting the most home runs in a thirteen-game, single-season span for a player under 26 in franchise history — which, as it turns out, is one of the accomplishments on today’s list. What unites each entry is the sense of intrigue

which they aim to spark, and the unbridled love of the game’s anomalies from which they arise. So without further ado, let the stat party begin…

MONDAY

Mark Vientos recorded two doubles and a hit by pitch, becoming the first Met to do so since someone with the same first name almost exactly three years ago: Mark Canha on August 26, 2022. Canha would go on to set the franchise’s single-season record with 28 HBP that year.

The Mets scored three runs in three separate innings for the first time since April 28, when they did so four times against the Nationals. They would do it again on Friday night against the Marlins.

TUESDAY

Pete Alonso recorded his second four-hit game in a single month. Amed Rosario was the last Met to accomplish that feat, doing so in consecutive months in July 2019 and August 2019.

WEDNESDAY

Nolan McLean became the first Met to win his first three career starts, and the first to win his first three starts in a Mets uniform since Max Scherzer in 2022.

At 24 years old, McLean also became the youngest Met to throw at least eight scoreless innings since Noah Syndergaard on August 21, 2016.

The Mets earned their tenth straight win against the Phillies at Citi Field, including NLDS Games 3 and 4. But even while counting playoff games, it still doesn’t match the team’s longest record of the sort, as the Mets won 11 straight at Citi Field against the Arizona Diamondbacks between May 18, 2018 and April 15, 2022.

THURSDAY

Francisco Lindor recorded his 30th hit in 15 games, becoming just the seventh Met to do so alongside Cleon Jones, Frank Taveras, Brett Butler, Lance Johnson, John Olerud, and José Reyes.

Pete Alonso became the sixth player in MLB history to hit 30 home runs in six of his first seven seasons, joining Albert Pujols, Mark Teixeira, Frank Robsinon, Eddie Mathews, and Ralph Kiner. Alonso would have surely hit 30 in all seven seasons if not for the shortened 2020 campaign, when he was on pace to reach 45 homers over the course of a full year.

FRIDAY

The Mets scored 19 runs, the most that they’ve ever put up in a home game in franchise history. The previous record was 17, set on July 8, 2006 against the Marlins and matched on September 25, 2016 against the Phillies.

Following Nolan McLean’s performance on August 16, Jonah Tong became the second Mets starting pitcher to win his MLB debut this season. It’s the first time the Mets have ever had two starting pitchers win their debuts in a single season, and the first time since 2016 that they’ve had two pitchers earn debut wins (Robert Gsellman and Gabriel Ynoa each did so out of the bullpen).

Pete Alonso hit his 31st career home run against the Marlins, extending his franchise record against the Fish. Alonso, Darryl Strawberry, and David Wright are the only Mets to hit 31 or more homers against a single opponent. Wright leads the way with 36 against both the Phillies and Braves.

The Mets scored 13 runs for the second time in a single week. It’s the first time they’ve done that since September 2020, when they beat up on the Phillies at Citi Field and the Blue Jays at their temporary Buffalo ballpark.

Luis Torrens recorded his eighth RBI in 3 games, becoming the first Mets catcher to do so since Wilson Ramos in August 2019.

SATURDAY

The Mets surrendered five runs in the first inning the day after scoring five runs in the first themselves. The last time the Mets surrendered and scored five runs in the first inning on consecutive days was somehow exactly 38 years ago to the dates, on August 29 and August 30 against the 1987 Giants.

Juan Soto recorded two home runs, two walks, and two stolen bases for the second time in Mets history. Howard Johnson totaled two home runs, three walks, and two stolen bases in Houston on July 11, 1987.

Soto also became the second Met this season to reach 25 stolen bases, alongside Francisco Lindor. It’s the first time the Mets have had multiple players with 25+ SB since 2011, when José Reyes had 39 and Ángel Pagán had 32.

Mark Vientos hit his eighth home run in 13 games, becoming just the second Met to do so before his 26th birthday in a single season (joining Lee Mazzilli in July 1980).

SUNDAY

A day after Chris Devenski delivered three scoreless innings in relief, Brandon Waddell threw four and a third scoreless innings. It’s the first time the Mets have had back-to-back games featuring a scoreless relief appearance of at least three innings since May 13 and May 15, 2018, when Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo did it.

The Mets ended August having set new club records for the most runs (177) and home runs (53) tallied within a single month. The previous record for runs was 172 in June 1990. The previous record for home runs was 50 in June 2017 and September/October 2019.

Miscellaneous Mets stat of the week:

Howard Johnson is the Mets’ single-season intentional walks leader with 25 in 1988. Second place belongs to Darryl Strawberry, who recorded 21 in the same season.