Mets manager pulls starter mid at-bat after 1 pitch to Mookie Betts

New York Mets manager Buck Showalter apparently had a very short leash when it came to starting pitcher David Peterson facing Mookie Betts.

During the fourth inning of Saturday’s game between the Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers, Betts came to the plate with two outs and one runner on base. Betts, representing the tying run, lined a first pitch curveball from Peterson just foul. Showalter immediately made a beeline to the mound to take out Peterson and bring in Colin Holderman, who struck Betts out to end the inning.

Buck Showalter pulls David Peterson after one pitch to Mookie Betts: pic.twitter.com/Dgw1Yabg8A

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 5, 2022

With the way Betts has been swinging the bat recently, it’s hard to blame Showalter for the quick hook on Peterson.

In his last seven games, Betts has 11 hits, including 3 home runs and 5 RBI in 29 at-bats. He did have a slow start to the season, however.

Entering Saturday, Betts was hitting .308 with 36 RBI, and had the second-most home runs in baseball (16). The 29-year-old had a .998 OPS, the fourth-highest in the majors, along with the fifth-highest slugging percentage (.607) and the second-best WAR (3.2).

As for Peterson, he had thrown 90 pitches over 3.2 innings, so he wasn’t exactly sharp.