On Saturday, New York Mets pitching prospect Blade Tidwell had no idea he had made history when he walked off the mound. After striking out five of the six Tampa Bay Rays batters he faced, the 23-year-old right-hander was simply pleased with his performance. It wasn’t until he checked social media after the game that he realized he had just thrown an immaculate inning—recording three strikeouts on nine pitches in the second frame of the Mets’ 10-1 Spring Training victory at Charlotte Sports Park.

“I didn't realize I had one until after I got back,” Tidwell admitted.

Facing a solid Rays lineup, Tidwell breezed through Josh Lowe, Eloy Jiménez, and José Caballero with precision. Each of his strikeouts came on a different pitch—highlighting his deep repertoire and growing command. He finished Lowe with a gyro slider, got Jiménez swinging at a 99 mph fastball up in the zone, and put Caballero away with a sweeper.

Tidwell’s dominance wasn’t lost on Mets manager Carlos Mendoza, who immediately recognized the significance of the moment.

Mets prospect gets love from his manager

New York Mets pitcher Blade Tidwell (94) throws a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays in the second inning during spring training at Charlotte Sports Park.
Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

“We knew in the dugout right away,” Mendoza said. “That goes to show you that when you are on the attack and throwing strikes, getting ahead, like, your stuff is gonna play.”

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The young right-hander is part of a promising wave of Mets pitching prospects, including Brandon Sproat and Nolan McLean. However, Tidwell’s minor league career has been marked by inconsistency, particularly with his control. Last season, splitting time between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse, he struck out 22.6% of batters but also walked 12%—a rate he’s working hard to improve.

To refine his game, Tidwell has streamlined his arsenal to five pitches: a four-seam fastball, two-seamer, gyro slider, sweeper, and changeup. “It's better to have five mastered pitches than it would be to have, like, nine average pitches, if that makes sense,” he explained.

Mendoza was encouraged by Tidwell’s ability to execute against experienced major league hitters.

“It was good to see it, especially against pretty good hitters there,” Mendoza said. “Those are some of the things that we're trying to teach him, and it's good that he's going through it and experiencing those.”

While Tidwell is expected to start the season in Triple-A, his performance Saturday serves as a reminder of his potential. When asked about his future in the Mets’ rotation, he acknowledged the dream but remains focused on his development.

“I feel like I can stack up with the best of them if I'm commanding the ball,” he said. “That’s what I'm just trying to work on day in, day out.” For now, Tidwell will continue “riding the wave,” but his immaculate inning has certainly put him on the radar as a future key piece of the Mets’ pitching staff.