“I think it’s a little bit of everything… I think right now, every area we are fighting through,” stated manager Carlos Mendoza, following the Mets’ seventh consecutive loss. His frustration was evident. The Mets dropped to the second spot in the NL East, with the Phillies at the top now.
The 10-2 loss against the Phillies gave the impression that the Mets might be going down the slope. Both their pitchers and batters are failing. But amidst the chaos, they probably did one thing right. Bringing in Blade Tidwell, one of their young prospects from the Triple-A Syracuse, on Friday. And guess what! He gave away two runs in his 3.2 innings but struck out four batters.
Now, Tidwell has shared his thoughts about being called up to the major leagues. In an interview with SNY Mets, the rookie mentioned it was a surprising moment for him to get a call all of a sudden. “I was about to get on Fortnite before getting the call-up for tonight’s start.”
Blade Tidwell said he was about to get on Fortnite before getting the call up for tonight’s start
“This one was more surprising than the first one” pic.twitter.com/zjdotrWs20
— SNY (@SNYtv) June 21, 2025
Blade Tidwell was done for the day after a rainout in Syracuse and was just prepping himself to play the Fortnite Chapter 2, Season 5 game. However, given he was optioned on May 4 after the Mets’ 6-5 loss to the Cardinals 5-6 in a doubleheader game, he had to take this opportunity. Plus, after exhausting Justin Hagenman’s arm in Atlanta, NYM was desperate to shake-up their roster. So, at about 10 in the night, the 24-year-old found himself “Just hopped in the car.”
This time, his outing against the Phillies was better. “I had command of the fastball, but wish I had a couple of pitches back. Overall I thought it went better than the last, but there’s still more work to be done,” shared Tidwell after the game. Even though he struck out four batters, he was unable to make up for the runs he allowed in just 3.2 innings due to the four hits and three walks.
However, Blade Tidwell did manage to throw a good number of pitches – 74 of them instead of his 66 in May. And not to forget that after he was pulled out, Jose Castillo also gave away another run, allowing the Phillies to score.
And according to Carlos Mendoza, Tidwell was better than his first outing.
Carlos Mendoza heaps praise on the young Mets starter
It was just the second start for the 24-year-old pitcher this season for the Mets. Although Blade Tidwell wasn’t extraordinary, he did show glimpses of his potential. Apart from striking out the four batters, the rookie righty was able to throw 43 strikes in 74 pitches. And in this season, he has gone 0-1 with only 6 strikeouts at a 9.82 ERA.
However, the Mets manager feels that Tidwell has improved from his first outing. “A lot better, I thought. Fastball, you know, hard lines. I thought he got a slider to go with the sweeper today, which was a lot better as well.” But there are definitely some areas that still need improvements.
Tidwell tried to hold the Phillies scoreless for three innings. But the gap was soon covered up with J.T. Realmuto and Nick Castellanos pushing forward the home plate, passing Luis Torrens.
As a spot starter, Tidwell was definitely better than his previous outing. But it only lasted a mere 3 ½ innings. Mendoza, though, remained skeptical about rushing him to toss more than 74 pitches.
Meanwhile, we cannot deny that the Mets‘ offense and defense have been subpar, and their bullpen was once again exposed. So, if we look at their current condition, the Mets would have to get something more than just calling up starters from the minor league.
But even though the numbers aren’t impressive, we are forgetting Blade Tidwell is just 24! And with him throwing pitches to make up for the loose ends, we hope that he will get better with time. Maybe there’s a little bit more trust required from the manager, too…
The post Mets Star Makes Hilarious Fortnite Confession After Sudden Call-Up as Carlos Mendoza Reacts to Start appeared first on EssentiallySports.
