MacKenzie Gore, 24, allowed a run, four hits, and two walks, striking out 10 of the 25 batters he faced in a dominant, 101-pitch start against the New York Mets in Citi Field, generating 19 swinging strikes on the night, 12 of them with his fastball, four with his curve, and three with his slider, and picking up 17 called strikes, nine with his fastball, and eight with his curveball.
“When you’re pounding the zone with your fastball,” manager Davey Martinez said after Washington’s win over their NL East rivals in that game, “… and then you can drop a curveball in there, it helps.