SAN DIEGO — Chris Paddack took his NL Rookie of the Month slight seriously.
The Padres brash right-hander fired 7 ²/u2083 shutout innings in which he allowed only four hits and struck out 11, lowering his ERA to 1.55 in Monday night’s 4-0 victory over the Mets.
In an anticipated matchup, Paddack struck out Mets first baseman Pete Alonso twice, each time pumping a fist in celebration. Alonso grounded out in his third at-bat against him.
Paddack raised eyebrows before the series by naming Alonso as competition in the NL Rookie of the Year race.