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LOS ANGELES — Paul Blackburn kept his head down and pounded his glove as he stomped toward the dugout.
The Mets right-hander's return to the mound ended after he passed the biggest test of the evening.
The trouble was not Blackburn's own doing, but he managed to snuff out the threat against one of the most dangerous hitters in the game.
Tommy Edman reached base after Pete Alonso fumbled a ground ball just off first base and Hyseong Kim moved the Dodgers second baseman into scoring position with two outs on a single through the right side.
It turned over the Dodgers lineup and presented a looming threat as Shohei Ohtani, the reigning National League MVP who Blackburn had faced nine times previously in his career, stepped to the plate as the potential go-ahead run in a two run game.
Blackburn did not waver. Despite falling behind in the count 3-1, Blackburn unfurled a changeup to the outside corner and enticed Ohtani enough to chop into the final out of the frame at second base.
"With (Ohtani's) time in Anaheim, I faced him a lot," Blackburn said. "I knew what he looked like in the box. I know he's gotten me once, I know the pitches I've made to him in the past and I knew how I had success with him before. I just trusted that. I trusted the preparation beforehand and my time facing him before."
It proved to be the final out of a sterling return for Blackburn, who tossed five scoreless innings against the defending World Series champions in a 4-3 victory in front of 48,556 fans in the teams' series opener at Dodger Stadium.
The 31-year-old, who was filling in as a sixth start, settled for a no-decision as the Mets needed 10 innings and RBIs from Francisco Alvarez and Francisco Lindor in the extra frame to secure the win.
"He was really good. I thought attacked the zone, used all of his pitches," Carlos Mendoza said. "I thought the cutter was good, the sinker was good against righties, the changeup, kept those guys off-balance, guessing. He was pitch efficient, to be honest with you.
"Obviously we didn't make a play that extending that fifth inning, but overall, against a pretty good lineup, obviously for him to be out there for the first time after so much time that he missed, unbelievable job there."
It was emotional return for Blackburn, who had not been seen on the mound in a Mets uniform since Aug. 23, 2024, against the Padres when he exited after being hit in the wrist by a comebacker.
Blackburn's recovery got more complicated when he was diagnosed with a spinal fluid leak, which required surgery on Oct. 11, 2025.
As he worked back from that procedure, which was originally expected to take four to five months recovery, Blackburn faced another speed bump when he was sidelined with right knee inflammation and an illness further pushed back his return.
"I'm not sure how many people expected me to kind of have a normal spring training or anything like that, and being able to show up on day one and you're ready to go, I was happy about that,." Blackburn said. "But then the knee popped up and it sucked."
Monday's outing was a little more than nine months in the making, so a little extra emotion, particularly against the defending champions, seemed reasonable. And he helped protect the lead that was provided from the outset by a Francisco Lindor leadoff home run.
"It feels good. To come in here with the energy that was just out there during the game and being able to kind of keep us ahead there," Blackburn said. "When Lindor hit that homer to start the game, the biggest thing for me was just how quick can I get them back in that dugout and just keep the momentum on our side."
During the 2024 season, the four-seam fastball was Blackburn's second-most used pitch, but he completely abandoned the heater in his first start of 2025.
Blackburn led with his cutter, which he threw 39 percent of the time against the Dodgers. The changeup was his second-most used pitch, followed by an equal mix of sinkers, curveballs and sliders.
"When it comes to me as a pitcher, I'm a guy that can't really rely on a single pitch," Blackburn said. "I kind of let the hitters kind of tell me what pitches I should throw to them. For that lineup over there, it's a lot of damage from the lefties. Just being able to get that cutter in and kind of get it off the barrel, it was huge."
The curveball proved to be Blackburn's strikeout pitch, which he used to fan Ohtani twice and Dalton Rushing once. Blackburn finished with three hits and one walk allowed with the three strikeouts. He threw 77 pitches in his first major league start on the heels of seven rehab starts, which began on April 19.
Now, the question is what's next for Blackburn.
"We gotta wait and see, but there's a good chance he'll go back to the bullpen now and then we'll go from there," Carlos Mendoza said.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets: Paul Blackburn returns, delivers strong start against Dodgers
Continue reading...
The Mets right-hander's return to the mound ended after he passed the biggest test of the evening.
The trouble was not Blackburn's own doing, but he managed to snuff out the threat against one of the most dangerous hitters in the game.
Tommy Edman reached base after Pete Alonso fumbled a ground ball just off first base and Hyseong Kim moved the Dodgers second baseman into scoring position with two outs on a single through the right side.
It turned over the Dodgers lineup and presented a looming threat as Shohei Ohtani, the reigning National League MVP who Blackburn had faced nine times previously in his career, stepped to the plate as the potential go-ahead run in a two run game.
Blackburn did not waver. Despite falling behind in the count 3-1, Blackburn unfurled a changeup to the outside corner and enticed Ohtani enough to chop into the final out of the frame at second base.
"With (Ohtani's) time in Anaheim, I faced him a lot," Blackburn said. "I knew what he looked like in the box. I know he's gotten me once, I know the pitches I've made to him in the past and I knew how I had success with him before. I just trusted that. I trusted the preparation beforehand and my time facing him before."
It proved to be the final out of a sterling return for Blackburn, who tossed five scoreless innings against the defending World Series champions in a 4-3 victory in front of 48,556 fans in the teams' series opener at Dodger Stadium.
The 31-year-old, who was filling in as a sixth start, settled for a no-decision as the Mets needed 10 innings and RBIs from Francisco Alvarez and Francisco Lindor in the extra frame to secure the win.
"He was really good. I thought attacked the zone, used all of his pitches," Carlos Mendoza said. "I thought the cutter was good, the sinker was good against righties, the changeup, kept those guys off-balance, guessing. He was pitch efficient, to be honest with you.
"Obviously we didn't make a play that extending that fifth inning, but overall, against a pretty good lineup, obviously for him to be out there for the first time after so much time that he missed, unbelievable job there."
Paul Blackburn's long journey back to the mound
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It was emotional return for Blackburn, who had not been seen on the mound in a Mets uniform since Aug. 23, 2024, against the Padres when he exited after being hit in the wrist by a comebacker.
Blackburn's recovery got more complicated when he was diagnosed with a spinal fluid leak, which required surgery on Oct. 11, 2025.
As he worked back from that procedure, which was originally expected to take four to five months recovery, Blackburn faced another speed bump when he was sidelined with right knee inflammation and an illness further pushed back his return.
"I'm not sure how many people expected me to kind of have a normal spring training or anything like that, and being able to show up on day one and you're ready to go, I was happy about that,." Blackburn said. "But then the knee popped up and it sucked."
Monday's outing was a little more than nine months in the making, so a little extra emotion, particularly against the defending champions, seemed reasonable. And he helped protect the lead that was provided from the outset by a Francisco Lindor leadoff home run.
"It feels good. To come in here with the energy that was just out there during the game and being able to kind of keep us ahead there," Blackburn said. "When Lindor hit that homer to start the game, the biggest thing for me was just how quick can I get them back in that dugout and just keep the momentum on our side."
A new wrinkle to the repertoire
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During the 2024 season, the four-seam fastball was Blackburn's second-most used pitch, but he completely abandoned the heater in his first start of 2025.
Blackburn led with his cutter, which he threw 39 percent of the time against the Dodgers. The changeup was his second-most used pitch, followed by an equal mix of sinkers, curveballs and sliders.
"When it comes to me as a pitcher, I'm a guy that can't really rely on a single pitch," Blackburn said. "I kind of let the hitters kind of tell me what pitches I should throw to them. For that lineup over there, it's a lot of damage from the lefties. Just being able to get that cutter in and kind of get it off the barrel, it was huge."
The curveball proved to be Blackburn's strikeout pitch, which he used to fan Ohtani twice and Dalton Rushing once. Blackburn finished with three hits and one walk allowed with the three strikeouts. He threw 77 pitches in his first major league start on the heels of seven rehab starts, which began on April 19.
Now, the question is what's next for Blackburn.
"We gotta wait and see, but there's a good chance he'll go back to the bullpen now and then we'll go from there," Carlos Mendoza said.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets: Paul Blackburn returns, delivers strong start against Dodgers
Continue reading...
