NEW YORK (AP) — The bullpen phone was a secondary concern for Mets starter David Peterson on Monday compared to the one sitting in the trainer’s room.
His cell phone never buzzed, and that was OK by him. Peterson will worry about his wife’s delivery another day.
Peterson pitched into the sixth inning with wife Alex expected to go into labor soon, and New York beat the Miami Marlins 6-0 despite losing Jeff McNeil to injury.
Mets manager Buck Showalter joked Monday morning that New York was on “baby watch” with Peterson, McNeil and Seth Lugo all awaiting newborns. Lugo was placed on the paternity list before the game.
Peterson was prepared to leave the park if Alex went into labor with the couple’s first child, and the Mets had contingencies if he couldn’t make the start. Peterson had his phone stashed in the trainer’s room, hoping someone would hear if it rang, but he was reasonably confident he had time to pitch before his son arrived.
“Once I’m here, it’s all about the game,” he said. “If it rings, it rings.”
After being inconsistent with his mechanics this season, Peterson (4-1) was on top of his delivery and covered 5 1/3 innings with a season-high seven strikeouts on 100 pitches. He allowed six hits and two walks as the Mets won the four-game series by finishing their 11th shutout this season, tying the Yankees for the major league lead.
McNeil left in the fourth inning with right hamstring tightness after scoring on a wild pitch. He was sent for an MRI, but Showalter was hopeful it was only a day-to-day issue.
New York’s J.D. Davis was hit on the left hand by a pitch in the eighth, the major league-leading 50th Mets player plunked this season. Davis threw his bat in pain but remained in the game. Davis had surgery in the offseason to repair a torn ligament in…