NEW YORK — Everything David Peterson worked toward this season manifested itself on Tuesday night.
In the New York Mets’ 7-2 win over the Red Sox on his 29th birthday, Peterson improved to 9-1 on the season by delivering what’s quickly becoming a status-quo start for him: six innings, one run, though this one came with a career-best 11 strikeouts.
Peterson’s growth is shorthand for the evolution of the Mets’ rotation as a whole — a group operating at its highest level of the season at the most important time.
Coming off a disappointing 2023 season, Peterson focused on refining his mix for five viable pitches, including improvement in his four-seamer and curveball.
The four-seamer was Peterson’s best pitch on Tuesday. While he’s used it less this season than in the past, it’s also been far more effective. That was a goal last winter when Jose Quintana presented as a case study for Peterson.
“Q does a really good job of getting up and in to righties, and that helps his changeup and curveball and sinker play at the bottom of the zone,” pitching coach Jeremy Hefner said. “That’s what we’ve been chasing.”
“It’s a pitch that was big for me in 2022,” Peterson said. “Once I was able to figure it out and get it where I want it to be, it’s continuing to build on it and using it when I can.”
BOS 2
NYM 7
FinalFrancisco Lindor played like an MVP. David Peterson pitched well again. That’s six in a row.
The Mets are 75-64.
— Tim Britton (@TimBritton) September 4, 2024
Against Boston, Peterson’s four-seamer was far more than just a show pitch up and in. He typically throws it about a quarter of the time; on Tuesday, he deployed it 31 times in 89 pitches, and it was effective from the start. The Red Sox missed on their first six swings on the pitch, including for three first-inning strikeouts. On the night, the Red Sox whiffed on 14 of their 20 swings against Peterson’s fastball, and it punctuated nine of those 11 punchouts.
Once Peterson developed five pitches worth throwing, it was imperative he figured out how to throw all of them for strikes. Finally healthy after offseason hip surgery, Peterson’s been better able to repeat his mechanics and hone his delivery between starts.
When you can throw anything for a strike, you can throw anything anytime.
“He avoids patterns,” president of baseball operations David Stearns said before the game. “He has the ability from start to start to be pretty unpredictable on what he’s going to throw in a given count.”
Because he has so many potential weapons, Peterson can tailor his approach opponent by opponent, hitter by hitter. Tuesday’s focus was the four-seamer. Last time out against Arizona, he threw more sinkers and sliders.
“Depending on our plan and the matchups, that dictates the usage,” Peterson said. “It’s always great to have options.”
“Sequencing,” manager Carlos Mendoza said of his performance Tuesday, “he and (Francisco) Alvarez did a hell of a job.”
Peterson’s emergence is just part of the story for a Mets rotation hitting its stride. New York entered the season with its rotation as its biggest question mark, then proceeded to lose its best starter for all but one game. Nevertheless, the Mets came into Tuesday’s game with the NL’s best ERA since June 20.
Their rotation is second in the majors in innings pitched since late July.
“They’re feeding off each other,” Hefner said. “There’s this competition within the group. They like each other, and I don’t think that’s true on every team. This group really likes hanging around and cheering for each other and pushing each other and holding each other accountable.”
Stearns talked about “stabilizing forces” in the rotation — what Sean Manaea and Luis Severino have been for most of the season, what Peterson has become as the year has progressed.
“When you have a couple guys where you feel good you’re getting six innings that night,” Stearns said, “it makes planning and (Mendoza’s) work a lot more predictable.”
The rotation has become a stabilizing force. It keeps the Mets in games regardless of their offensive output, and it puts the bullpen in a position to succeed. Peterson’s counterpart, Kutter Crawford, allowed one hit Tuesday night. He left the game trailing anyway.
“You’re talking about the ability to sustain winning streaks, if your starters are going six or seven innings every time out,” Hefner said.
A Mets starter hasn’t allowed more than three runs in a game in the last six. How long is the Mets’ winning streak, you ask? It’s six.
“We’re in the thick of it. We’ve earned the right to be here,” Stearns said. “This isn’t a fluke. We’ve got a month left to play really good baseball to give us a chance to have fun in October. That’s what you want this time of year.”
(Photo of David Peterson: Wendell Cruz / USA Today)