Reason Mets Rookie Nolan McLean Named USA's Starting Pitcher for WBC Final vs. Venezuela Revealed

The biggest start of New York Mets rookie Nolan McLean's young career will come for Team USA on Tuesday night when he gets the start against Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic final.

Per The Athletic's Andy McCullough, Team USA officials believe McLean was chosen in part because he "possesses the best combination of poise and stuff of the available starters."

U.S. manager Mark DeRosa confirmed after Sunday's win over the Dominican Republic that McLean would start the final.

One of the storylines throughout this tournament is the way teams in the WBC have had to navigate the needs of helping their club win while also making sure pitchers are getting the necessary work needed to be ready for the start of the MLB regular season.

Tarik Skubal left to return to camp with the Detroit Tigers after his March 7 start against Great Britain. Matthew Boyd and Clay Holmes went back to their MLB teams last week. Logan Webb and Paul Skenes aren't available because they started in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively.

There was speculation that Joe Ryan of the Minnesota Twins would be added to the U.S. roster to possibly be used in the final, likely as a reliever to follow McLean, but that wound up not being the case with one reason cited was manager Mark DeRosa wanting to stick with a true reliever to come into the game rather than a traditional starter pitching in a short burst.

McLean is the best starting pitcher left on the roster who is also available to play on Tuesday. McCullough noted the 24-year-old's turn in the Mets' rotation also makes it viable for him to take the mound for Team USA.

The Mets already confirmed that Freddy Peralta will be their starter against the Pittsburgh Pirates on opening day. They have a scheduled off day between the opener on March 26 and their second game on March 28, giving McLean 10 full days of rest if he ends up starting in that contest.

In addition to the schedule lining up, McLean is also embracing the opportunity to pitch on this stage.

"If you work your whole life at something, you want to be put in these spots," McLean said after getting the nod for Team USA in the final (h/t McCullough). "So it's just a dream come true to be able to get the ball in such a big moment. And it's something I want to do."

WBC rules allow pitchers to throw up to 95 pitches in the championship game. It seems unlikely McLean will be given that much rope considering he threw just 55 pitches in his first start in the tournament, but the U.S. will be counting on him to set the tone out of the gate.

McLean struggled in the United States' 8-6 loss to Italy on March 10. He allowed three runs with two hits, two walks and four strikeouts in three innings.

The Venezuela-United States matchup will take place at LoanDepot Park in Miami on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. Team USA is looking for its second win in the history of the tournament. It previously won in 2017, defeating Puerto Rico in the final.