NY Mets pitcher strikes out Shohei Ohtani 3 times in the game, 1 more time after

Length mattered for the New York Mets on Saturday. A depleted bullpen they could Milli Vanilli and blame on the rain from the previous day, starter David Peterson had to give them nothing short of excellence. That meant keeping the Mets in the game, throwing as many pitches as possible, and retiring a whole lot of Los Angeles Dodgers.

His consistency continued, giving up 2 runs in the second and zilch thereafter. He started off the game by striking out Shohei Ohtani. When he exited in the eighth inning, it came following the third K of the night against baseball’s golden boy.

Nervous? The ice water in his veins could cool off every youth soccer team’s drinks in the Tristate area. Peterson was money for the Mets in the game but delivered an equally brilliant assessment on it after.

Stone cold David Peterson is the best version of him

For a lack of newness or some other reason, Peterson hasn’t gotten much attention for how well he has performed in 2025. Just 3 earned runs once all year and never more than that total, quality starts or at least close to it have been the name of the game for him all season. He’s now 3-2 with a 2.79 ERA. A pitch to contact type of player who relies on big ground balls to get himself out of jams, our familiarity might be why the praise of the starters lands almost exclusively on Clay Holmes, Griffin Canning, and the unheard of numbers Kodai Senga has had early on.

There was never a point in 2025 when Peterson had unheard of totals nor was he going deep into games early. Steadiness is what might’ve built up his confidence to the point where the reigning MVP is just another hitter in his eyes.

In the eyes of many Mets fans, Peterson might still feel like a kid. Last year was his first season establishing himself as a mainstay in the rotation. He is, by miles, the best starting pitcher the team has produced to make his debut in the last decade.

He doesn’t just sound confident in his own abilities. Like a true professional, he heaped some praise on Juan Soto.

It can be easy to forget that despite not being in the majors as long as a player like Soto or having the mammoth salary, Peterson is several years older, a little more experienced in life, and the more mature one in the room. His use of the word “confidence” could be more fitting because on Saturday, Peterson looked it, whether Ohtani was 8 batters away or dug into the batter’s box already.