Here are the Top 10 MLB debuts in Mets history

NEW YORK -- The list of greatest debut games in Mets history is filled with both the famous and forgotten -- some of the best players the franchise has seen, along with names that jumped onto the history pages for a day or a week or a year, only to disappear quickly after that.

The following is a subjective list of the 10 greatest debuts by a rookie in Mets history:

1. Steven Matz
Date: June 28, 2015

It would be difficult for anyone to top Matz’s debut on a Sunday afternoon in Flushing, with his Long Island-based family and friends in attendance. After toiling in the Minors for six seasons, Matz gave the Mets a superb pitching performance, holding the Reds to two runs over 7 2/3 innings. But that’s not entirely what made his debut so special. At the plate, Matz finished 3-for-3 with a double and four RBIs, becoming the first Mets pitcher to drive home four runs since Dwight Gooden in 1990, the first Major League pitcher to rap out three hits in his debut since Jason Jennings for the Rockies in 2001, and the first pitcher ever to do both in his debut.

2. Kazuo Matsui
Date: April 6, 2004

As hyped an international signing as the Mets have had, the 28-year-old Matsui didn’t wind up enjoying quite the career that Mets officials envisioned. But he did start with a bang in Atlanta, homering on the first pitch he saw in the Majors and finishing 3-for-3 with three extra-base hits, two walks and three RBIs. He remains the only Mets player to reach base safely five times in a Major League debut.

3. Dick Rusteck
Date: June 10, 1966

Only one man has thrown a shutout in his Mets debut, and it’s one you may never have heard of. Rusteck started just three games in the Majors, but the first of them was a four-hit blanking of the Reds at Shea Stadium in 1966. Rusteck struck out four, walked one, and never enjoyed anything even approximating that level of success again.

4. Collin McHugh
Date: Aug. 23, 2012

The only thing spoiling McHugh’s debut was that the Mets didn’t actually win the game. Otherwise, McHugh was brilliant, holding the Rockies to two hits over seven shutout innings while striking out nine. McHugh went on to enjoy an 11-year career, though all but two of those seasons came outside New York.

5. Matt Harvey
Date: July 26, 2012

The franchise record for strikeouts in a debut belongs to Harvey, who became a shooting star the moment he reached the Majors. In Arizona, Harvey struck out the first batter of his career and seven of the first 14 batters he faced, blanking the Diamondbacks over 5 1/3 innings. He finished his rookie season with a 2.73 ERA over 10 starts before breaking out even further in 2013.

6. Dillon Gee
Date: Sept. 7, 2010

An unheralded 21st-round Draft pick -- the anti-Harvey, as it were -- Gee took a no-hitter into the sixth inning of his Major League debut in Washington before Willie Harris spoiled it with a leadoff homer. Gee recovered to allow just one other hit through the rest of his outing in a 4-1 win, striking out four. He remained a productive member of New York’s rotation for several seasons after that.

7. Masato Yoshii
Date: April 5, 1998

Much like Matsui, Yoshii came to the Mets via Japan with plenty of hype. Also much like Matsui, Yoshii thrived in his first Major League game. Two weeks shy of his 33rd birthday, Yoshii struck out seven while holding the Pirates to three hits over seven scoreless innings in his debut. He added six shutout innings in his ensuing start against the Brewers, going 14 scoreless to start his career before allowing a run.

8. Nick Evans
Date: May 24, 2008

Another relatively unheralded Draft pick, Evans made his Major League debut with three doubles in a 9-2 blowout of the Rockies at Citi Field. The first of those, in his first career at-bat, drove home a run to give the Mets an early 5-0 lead. Evans became a regular bench contributor for the Mets for several seasons after that, though he never recorded three extra-base hits in a game again.

9. Lenny Dykstra
Date: May 3, 1985

Only one Met has homered and stolen a base in his big league debut: Dykstra, who accomplished both feats in a 9-4 drubbing of the Reds. A year before becoming a cog of the Mets’ World Series team, “Nails” debuted with two hits, including the homer, two RBIs and the steal.

10. Nolan McLean
Date: Aug. 16, 2025

At the tail end of a breakout Minor League season, McLean debuted in hopes of propelling a sinking 2025 Mets team to the playoffs. While the team ultimately fell short of that goal, it wasn’t because of McLean, who struck out eight batters over 5 1/3 shutout innings in his debut. McLean allowed just two hits in the outing, a 3-1 win over the Mariners, joining Harvey as the only Mets pitchers to strike out at least eight batters and earn the win in a scoreless big league debut.