Mets Starter Flustered By New Pitch Clock; Lit Up In First Spring Start

New York Mets starter José Quintana had a difficult start to his Grapefruit League debut on Tuesday against the Houston Astros, giving up five runs on four hits and a walk in just two-thirds of an inning.

Quintana told reporters after the game that he struggled with the faster pace imposed by MLB's new pitch clock, which may have contributed to his poor performance.

David Hensley CRUSHED this pitch and ends José Quintana's outing pic.twitter.com/KclteowARF

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) February 28, 2023

Despite this setback, Quintana is expected to stabilize the back-end of the Mets' starting rotation this season, after posting career-best numbers with a 2.93 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 137 strikeouts across 165.2 innings last year between the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals. 

Quintana, who will also be pitching for Colombia in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, will not have to deal with the pitch clock during the tournament. However, with only a few weeks until the start of the regular season, he will need to adjust quickly to the new rules.

José Quintana ( 5 ER in 0.2 IP) felt slightly rushed by the pitch clock today pic.twitter.com/zyfQMnhulH

— Barstool Baseball (@Starting9) February 28, 2023

The 34-year-old left-hander may have an extra obstacle to overcome if he wants to avoid regression after his career-best season in 2022.

The Mets signed Quintana to a two-year, $26 million contract this offseason. He's entering his 12th major-league season. Photo Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports