Acce s the Mets beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets. Until the Mets bullpen blew it, Brandon Waddells Mets debut had all the pieces for a storybook ending in Queens. He entered in the third inning working behind opener Huascar Brazobn for his first MLB appearance in nearly four years, the culmination of a journey that started with a July 2021 cameo with the Cardinals and included stints in the Korea Baseball Organization, the Chinese Profe sional Baseball League, the KBOs Doosan Bears for a second time and, to start 2025, Triple-A Syracuse. He then exited 4 / innings later to a standing ovation, and before Ryne Stanek surrendered the lead, Waddell was positioned to earn his first MLB win after striking out four and scattering just three hits while not allowing a run in Wednesday at Citi Field. It was awesome, Waddell said. Its good to be back. Waddell wanted to return to MLB to prove he could still pitch at this level, he said. Explore More John Olerud Jersey While pitching internationally, he learned to pitch aggre sively and induce weak contact, and that translated into his outing Wednesday. He became the first Mets reliever and just the 15th Mets pitcher to throw at least four innings in his team debut, and it also marked the longest appearance by a Mets reliever since Nelson Figueroa (4 /) in 2009, per the team. You learn a lot of over there, Waddell said. You learn how to pitch. You learn how to use your stuff. So its just taking those le sons and refining things. Brandon Wadell, who threw 4 / scorele s innings, delivers a pitch during the Mets 4-3 lo s to the Diamondbacks on April 30, 2025. Robert Sabo / New York Post As you go along in your career, pitches get better. Maybe adjust a couple things, but its really just trying to learn every time youre out there. Eventually, with the Mets needing someone to take the bulk of the innings Wednesday, that all led to Citi Field, where Waddell mixed a four-seam fastball, a slider, a sweeper, a cutter and a changeup to keep the Diamondbacks off-balance. CHECK OUT THE AND They didnt manage an extra-base hit against him. His night ended when he struck out Josh Naylor on a slider to start the seventh, and as manager Carlos Mendoza took the ball and waited for Stanek to enter from the bullpen, thats when the standing ovation began. Brandon Wadell throws a pitch during the Mets lo s to the Diamondbacks. Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images This could all be fleeting for Waddell. At 30, hes still searching for his first win, still searching for consistent chances on the sports ultimate stage that evaded him even earlier in his career with the Pirates, the Twins, the Orioles and the Cardinals stops where he collectively logged 11 appearances after originally being a fifth-round pick in 2015. But for one night, for one spot when the Mets needed an extra member of their rotation, he was unbelievable, Mendoza said. Its something I definitely didnt expect, Waddell said of the standing ovation, but you can feel it as a player. It means a lot to have that support and something that we always really cherish. Leo Jimenez Jersey