Mets reliever Matt Seelinger made his long-awaited big-league debut on Tuesday night against the Royals at Citi Field. Seelinger was brought in to pitch in the seventh inning with the game tied at 9-9.
He allowed seven runs on five hits in the top of the seventh, allowing the Royals to take a commanding 16-9 lead. Surprisingly, the coaching staff let him pitch again in the eighth. He performed better, surrendering no earned runs, but the damage had already been done.
Fans reacted to Seelinger’s debut, with many blaming the organization for putting him in a difficult position.
“The Mets ruined this kid’s debut like they ruined their roster and season,” a Fan wrote.
Seelinger had been in the minor leagues since being drafted by the Pirates in 2017. He moved from the Pirates to the Rays, from the Rays to the Giants, from the Giants to the Phillies, and from the Phillies to the Tigers. On Monday, he was traded to the Mets and made his MLB debut the following day.
Matt Seelinger Was Ecstatic About Making His MLB Debut At Citi Field
Ahead of his long-awaited big-league debut, Seelinger was asked about his feelings heading into Citi Field and about earning a spot on the active 40-man roster for the first time in his professional career.
As a Long Island native, Seelinger said it was a dream come true and that he expected many of his friends and family to be in the stands for the game.
“It’s a dream scenario for me. I grew up 20 minutes from here. I used to come to games all the time as a kid… All my friends that are Mets fans have been manifesting this for nine years… I think all of Long Island will be here,” Seelinger told reporters.
After the discouraging debut last night, the organization’s decision on what to do with the 31-year-old for the rest of the campaign will be a highly discussed topic. With last night’s loss, the Mets are now 38-54 for the season, still in the bottom spot in the NL East standings, 16 games short of the .500 mark.
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