Knowing Young is OK, McLean is able to move on from 'traumatizing' collision

ARLINGTON -- Because he couldn’t sleep much last Thursday night, Nolan McLean found himself grabbing his phone and texting Jared Young at about 4 a.m. Friday. Hours earlier, McLean had collided with Young while pursuing a ball at Citi Field, knocking his teammate unconscious and leaving him with a concussion. It was, McLean said, a “traumatizing” experience.

Eventually, Young texted back saying he had been released from the hospital and was heading home. The message eased McLean’s mind enough for him, finally, to fall asleep.

“That was huge for me, just the comfort of knowing he’s OK,” McLean said Wednesday after a 7-2 win over the Rangers, making his first public comments since the accident. “You never want to see your brother go down like that.”

Young avoided brain bleeding and other complications that could have elongated his recovery. Though he is done for the season, Young should return to play next year without issue.

But McLean didn’t know all that when he stood at first base, looking down at Young’s unconscious form. He didn’t know it when paramedics carted Young off the field, nor when he retook the mound moments later to record the final out of that inning.

“I don’t remember much of it,” McLean said. “I really just wanted the game to be over knowing that my friend was probably getting in the back of an [ambulance] and heading to the hospital. It was terrifying. I was just ready for the game to be over and just hoping he was OK.”

Over the past two years, McLean and Young had grown close, as had their wives. A day after the accident, Young returned to Citi Field to pick up his car, affording McLean an opportunity to say a quick hello. That, too, helped him to move past his guilt.

“I never thought I’d feel like that on a baseball field,” McLean said.

By the time McLean took the mound on Wednesday, the episode was firmly behind him. In his first start since the collision and his last of the season, McLean spun seven innings of two-run ball at Globe Life Park, improving to 12-10 with a 3.16 ERA. After retiring the first dozen Rangers in a row, McLean ran into trouble in the fifth, allowing two runs. His velocity flagged slightly. But the right-hander recovered to complete seven innings on 82 pitches (52 strikes), putting a positive stamp on his first full big league season.

“He’s a really good young pitcher,” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said. “He’s going to be really good for a long time.”

“That’s kind of how everyone sees him across the league,” added Mets manager Andy Green. “They know how good he is.”

With only a tweak or two, Green likes to note, McLean can place himself among the game’s elite pitchers. Going forward, the manager hopes to see even more improvement in McLean’s walk rate, which is eighth highest among qualified Major League pitchers.

“There’s a lot that is impressive about Nolan,” Green said. “He’s put in good work, and I’m confident he’ll continue to do that.”

For McLean, 2026 began with significant promise, considering his eight exemplary starts as a rookie and his performances for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. Things didn’t necessarily proceed smoothly from there, as McLean struggled with his control early in the year and posted a 6.10 ERA during a nightmarish May.

But so much of the Mets’ confidence in McLean revolves around his ability to grow. From May 31 through Wednesday’s finale, the right-hander went 10-6 with a 2.51 ERA, allowing two earned runs or fewer in 16 of his 19 starts.

“It’s been a long season,” McLean said. “I haven’t pitched my best at times but fought some adversity early on. … I’ll do some reflecting on what I need to improve on, what I did well, to try to get to that next level next season.”

What pleased McLean most about 2026 was his ability to stay healthy enough to make every start. He considers that so important that when the Mets rejiggered their rotation to give their young pitchers extra rest down the stretch, McLean pushed back on the idea that he would only appear in one of New York’s final nine games, rather than two.

Even though McLean lost that argument, Green appreciated his desire to pitch as much as possible. No Mets pitcher has thrown 200 innings in a season since Jacob deGrom in 2019. McLean badly wants to be the next.

For now, he will finish the season on the bench before heading home to Oklahoma, where he’ll reflect on what he achieved. Although Sal Stewart remains the presumptive National League Rookie of the Year favorite, McLean is sure to garner votes as the NL’s top rookie pitcher -- one with an obvious capacity for growth, as well as a clear ability to overcome adversity.

“It’s just kind of the person that he’s been -- just figure out a way to get it done, even if it doesn’t feel your best,” Green said. “Proud of him. Proud of the season he’s had. He’s got a lot to hang his hat on right now.”