Zac Thornton’s emergence continues, mowing down Brewers for first career win

The Mets feel really good about Nolan McLean and Christian Scott as arms of the future, but Zac Thornton is quickly emerging as an intriguing name in that mix, as well.

Thornton was spectacular again against one of baseball’s best on Tuesday night, shutting out the Brewers across six strong innings to take home his first career victory. 

“It’s sort of a lift off the shoulders,” he told SNY’s Steve Gelbs postgame. “I’ve always wanted to help this team contribute to winning, and now I’ve made my mark.”

The lefty was in control for the majority of the night, leaning on his full arsenal and consistently pounding the zone. 

He did face some trouble after an infield single and a walk in the bottom of the first, but immediately turned a comebacker into an inning-ending double play. 

Thornton would face the minimum from there, retiring the next 13 batters he faced in order before the Brewers were able to generate some traffic again in the sixth. 

Back-to-back singles brought that stretch to an end and put two men on with no outs, but the 23-year-old quickly bared back down and picked up a huge strikeout. 

He was then helped out by a Milwaukee baserunner blunder and A.J. Ewing’s second spectacular catch of the night in left to end his outing with another zero on the board. 

Thornton allowed just a walk and three singles on the night. 

“He’s just the same guy,” interim manager Andy Green said. “Unafraid, attacks, went after every hitter -- it’s a good mix with aggression and there was some good defense behind him, a ton of good plays all over, it was fun to see.”

The southpaw has now pitched to a 1.93 ERA through four big league starts. 

He’s also gone 18 consecutive innings without allowing a run, which is the longest streak by a Mets rookie since fellow lefty Steven Matz in 2016. 

With each passing inning, Thornton’s already sky-high confidence only continues to grow.