Mets’ Christian Scott ready for Citi Field debut with Braves test

MLB

By Mike Puma

ST. LOUIS — Christian Scott visited Citi Field last season as part of a ceremony recognizing him as the Mets’ minor league pitcher of the year.

Asked to stay for the scheduled game, the right-hander watched the end of the inning before a lengthy rain delay forced him out. He’s now preparing for a return to the ballpark in Queens and plans to stick it out.

After a scintillating major league debut last weekend, the 24-year-old is set to face the Braves on Saturday in his first home start.

Based on what he saw last year, Scott has a good idea of ​​what awaits him at Citi Field.

“I loved it, and the Mets fans are awesome,” Scott said before weather forced the postponement of the team’s scheduled game against the Cardinals on Wednesday. “(Mets fans) want to win. We want to win. I do everything I can when I’m out there to get a win for the Mets fans. They’ve been great to me and the least we can do is give everything we have when we’re out there and try to win for them.

Scott received a sample at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., which had a large contingent of Mets fans for his debut last Saturday.

In that start, he pitched 6 ²/₃ innings and allowed one earned run on five hits with six strikeouts and one walk. Scott allowed three hits and one run in the first inning before dominating the Rays.

This time, he’ll be tested by one of baseball’s best lineups in an NL East rivalry game.

Scott, who grew up in Coconut Grove, Fla. rooting for the Red Sox, will receive an introduction to the Mets-Braves.

“I have a lot of respect for the organization and what they do,” Scott said. “They have great guys on their roster, from top to bottom. Maybe I’ll talk to (Mets prospect) Luisangel Acuña about how to get his brother (Ronald) out. I trust my stuff, so we’ll see what happens.

Scott was originally scheduled to pitch in the series opener Friday, but Wednesday’s postponement pushed back starting assignments.

Jose Quintana is now scheduled for Friday, while Scott a day later and Luis Severino are set for the series finale.

“I’m pretty sure there will be a lot of people excited to see Scotty pitch at Citi Field,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “I’m expecting a big crowd and a lot of support from our fans.”

Scott reached 97 mph with his four-seam fastball against the Rays. He averaged 95 mph with the terrain and worked with a sweeper, slider and splitter. The development of his sweeper last season, in particular, helped propel Scott to the big leagues.

Is there an area Scott wants to improve on this debut?

“Establish the inside of the zone to right hitters – and left hitters, actually,” Scott said. “Don’t let them lean over the plate. I want to go in and attack. Really, just keep attacking because I think I did a really good job of doing that against the Rays.

“They were very aggressive early on and it happened to me several times in Triple-A, where in the first inning, someone is really aggressive. Just learn the game plan – don’t go from plan A to plan B , but have a better idea of ​​what the game gives me and what I can get out of it.

It’s been a hectic week for Scott with everything needed to prepare for his major league debut and deal with the aftermath of a dominant first start. But Scott said his focus remained constant.

“I’m very grateful and very honored to be able to put on this uniform,” Scott said. “It’s truly an honor to wear this uniform, so I don’t take any moment for granted.”