Amid the Mets’ dominant 2-0 performance against the Nationals, one name stood out above the rest: David Peterson. In an era where pitch counts, bullpen matchups, and load management rule the sport, a pitcher completing a game is almost unheard of. Yet, there he was, owning the mound for all nine innings in the second game of the series. Even the Mets’ manager, Carlos Mendoza, was hesitant to greenlight the full outing. But Peterson made him give in.

In case you missed the game, Peterson allowed just six hits, issued no walks, and 6 SOs. Shutout! But what truly underscored his dominance was his ability to force a remarkable 13 groundouts and keep the Nationals’ bats completely off balance. “He kept us off balance,“ the Nationals manager, Dave Martinez, said.

Well, Mendoza, often conservative with pitcher workloads, had every reason to pull the plug early. But he didn’t. So, how did Peterson convince the skipper? “I just told him, let me finish this thing.“ That’s it, that was the pitch and that was enough for Mendoza to give him the ninth inning.

Once he wrapped up the eighth inning on 97 pitches, Peterson walked calmly back to the Mets’ dugout, but then came the big decision – one that would define both the game and perhaps a turning point in Peterson’s season.

As he reached the bench, Mendoza made his move. “Kind of pulled me aside and said let’s talk and wanted to hear what I had to say,” Peterson recalled.

Mendoza also revealed post-game how Peterson’s body language made him approve the ninth inning. So, that’s all that happened behind the scenes. Nothing flashy, just Mendoza’s trust and Peterson’s confidence worked here!

With a huge round of applause, Peterson returned to the mound and finished off a complete-game shutout. Incidentally, the first of his professional career.

Peterson’s performance was record-breaking in every sense. For the Mets, it marked the first complete game by any pitcher since Luis Severino’s shutout on August 17, 2024. And perhaps even more notably, it was the first shutout by a Mets’ left-hander in nearly six years. Steven Matz last did it in 2019.

While Peterson steals all the spotlight, not to forget the Mets are flipping the script on their season as a team as well.

The Mets are steadily turning the tables

With the second win over the Nationals, the Mets have now extended their winning streak to five games. What’s more is they sit atop the NL East with a commanding 44-24 record.

Peterson’s complete-game shutout is obviously the talk of the town, but Juan Soto is also heating up and that’s the most encouraging sign . After a sluggish start to the season, the star slugger is regaining his rhythm at the plate, batting .314 with five home runs over his last 15 games!

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Moreover, his home run against the Nats marked his second consecutive game with a long ball, a clear sign that his power stroke is fully back.

For the season, Soto is now slashing .252/.367/.459 with 13 homers and 35 RBIs across 67 games. These numbers hint at a potential second-half surge.

Now, if Soto continues trending upward while the rotation delivers gems like Peterson did against the Nats, the Mets can dream of a successful October.