How Mets’ pitcher Blade Tidwell fared in his major league debut

New York Mets' right-hander Blade Tidwell had some trouble with his off-speed stuff in his major league debut on Sunday.

May 4, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; New York Mets pitcher Blade Tidwell (40) makes his debut pitching appearance against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images | Tim Vizer-Imagn Images

The New York Mets saw one of their top pitching prospects make his major league debut in St. Louis on Sunday afternoon.

Right-hander Blade Tidwell, who was the Mets' second-round pick in the 2022 draft, was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to make a spot start with the team set for a doubleheader after a Saturday rainout. There were flashes of brilliance from the 23-year-old, who quickly racked up his first big league strikeout in the second inning and hit 98 miles per hour with his fastball.

However, the secondary stuff was a different story for Tidwell, who struggled to command his off-speed pitches and the Cardinals took advantage with a ton of soft contact hits early in the contest.

First MLB strikeout for @Mets No. 15 prospect Blade Tidwell! pic.twitter.com/V11aKTcjko

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 4, 2025

Things came undone for Tidwell in the fourth, when he got into a bases loaded jam and simply couldn't get out of the inning. The final blow against Tidwell came off the bat of Willson Contreras, who poked a two-run single the other way with the bases loaded to make it 6-2 in favor of the home team.

"Great shot, kid, that was one in a million!" pic.twitter.com/CUgfqt6kxM

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 4, 2025

Tidwell showed some poise early in the game navigating around traffic, but his inability to utilize his secondary stuff made it tough for him to put away Cardinals' hitters. The final line on Tidwell wasn't pretty as he allowed six earned runs on nine hits and three walks, leaving the game with a 14.73 ERA.

The final line for Blade Tidwell in his MLB debut pic.twitter.com/LK79hZQXEs

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) May 4, 2025

It is clear that there is still a lot for Tidwell to work on in the minor leagues, where he is likely headed after this game to clear a roster spot for Dedniel Núñez. The Mets should also be done with sixth starters for a bit as the schedule eases up after Wednesday's series finale in Arizona, which caps a stretch of 26 games in 27 days.

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With Paul Blackburn out on a rehab assignment while fellow starters Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea aren't too much further behind, it may be a minute before another pitching prospect gets to make his big league debut for the Mets. Strong pitching from Tidwell or top prospect Brandon Sproat could help change that equation, but Tidwell surely wishes he had a better feel for his secondary pitches today.