Against an only-in-September Mets lineup riddled with call-ups, Peacock allowed two hits and three walks in his five innings, striking out two over 94 pitches.
“I was really impressed with this kid tonight,” catcher Jesus Flores said. “He’s got great stuff. He could handle himself. His curveball was great tonight. It was really good to call the game for him tonight.”
Peacock, 23, attacked the Mets’ hitters in the same way he approached minor leaguers. He also carried another ritual with him.
After Peacock finished his warmup in the center field bullpen, he took the ball and flipped it to his father, Jerry, who followed him to every one of his minor league starts and saves the balls in a box.
“He’s got a lot,” Peacock said.
Peacock thought he would be nervous, but he was not. The first time he pitched in the majors, on Sept. 6, happened unlike how he imagined. He jogged in from the bullpen and faced Dodgers star Matt Kemp with two on.
“I got my feet wet a little bit,” Peacock said. “I knew what to expect.”
Last weekend, the Nationals named Peacock their minor league pitcher of the year, an honor he earned with his 15-3 record, 2.39 ERA and 177 strikeouts in 1462
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3 innings across Class AA Harrisburg and Class AAA Syracuse. Peacock generated a buzz last fall with an eye-popping performance in the Arizona Fall League.
This summer, after improving the deception of his delivery with Harrisburg pitching coach Randy Tomlin, Peacock exploded. Baseball America ranked him the No. 42 prospect in baseball. At the end of the season, he was named the Eastern League pitcher of the year.
“It’s just great,” Peacock said. “You don’t want to stay down there in the minors. You work to get up here. That’s all I did all season, is work hard. It paid off.”
Peacock still carries traces of his unassuming past. He arrives at the park early, dresses in his batting practice uniform and then sits in the stool in front of his locker. He speaks softly and short in interviews, all earnest smiles and nervous laughter.
On the mound Wednesday night, any trace of timidity disappeared. He retired the first eight hitters he faced, a streak he broke when he walked Mets pitcher Mike Pelfrey. Peacock unveiled the arsenal that turned from a throwaway draft pick to a piece of the Nationals’ future. He fired his fastball between 92 and 95 mph and mixed in a vicious curveball.
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