Buttó gives best Dr. K impression with scoreless gem

NEW YORK -- José Buttó and Cole Ragans both channeled their inner Dwight Gooden on Sunday at Citi Field.

But in the end, it was Buttó and the Mets who came out on top, 2-1, on Dr. K's number retirement day in Flushing -- thanks to Harrison Bader's bases-loaded infield single that broke a scoreless tie with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, and Brandon Nimmo's bases-loaded walk that followed.

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"It's a very special day, right?" Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. "And then for Buttó to go out there -- and we're facing a pretty good arm, too -- and to play these close games, and to be able to win them, is important."

Buttó and Ragans engaged in a Gooden-worthy pitchers' duel in Sunday's series finale. Both starters pitched six shutout innings -- Buttó allowing just two hits and racking up nine strikeouts, Ragans scattering five hits and collecting eight K's.

"Really good. Really good," Buttó said of how it felt to be part of such a duel. "Today was a really good game. Everybody battled to the end. It was really good -- and we won."

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Even Ragans appreciated the moment, getting to take the mound in the wake of Gooden's number retirement ceremony and go pitch for pitch with Buttó.

"You look at the numbers and hear what they say, the guy had an incredible career and accomplished some insane, crazy stuff," Ragans said of Gooden. "It’s awesome -- I get to pitch on that day when a guy like that gets his number retired."

Buttó has only been a spot starter for the Mets this season; he's not an ace who can touch 100 mph like Ragans. But he was maybe even a little better than Ragans on Sunday. And if he keeps pitching like this, he might find himself with a permanent job in the Mets' rotation.

"He's not going anywhere," Mendoza said. "He'll continue to get the ball. He'll get his chance, but it's good to see somebody stepping up.

"We've been talking about that since Day One. Guys are gonna get hurt, and guys are gonna get opportunities. And here he is."

The 26-year-old right-hander has been brilliant in both of his starts for New York this season. In his first outing against the Tigers on April 4, when he was called up as the 27th man on the roster for Game 2 of a doubleheader, Buttó pitched six innings of one-run baseball with six strikeouts.

He was even better on Sunday in pitching the Mets to a series win over the Royals, who'd entered the weekend 9-4 and on a seven-game win streak before the Mets cooled them off.

"Today he was in complete control, in my opinion," Mendoza said. "What a great outing."

This was the best game of Buttó's Major League career. He entered the 2024 season with a 4.70 ERA in 10 outings over parts of two seasons in New York. Sunday was the first scoreless game of his career, and his nine K's were a career high.

"I'm very, very happy that he got a career high in strikeouts today," Bader said. "I'm looking forward to him potentially breaking that next time he toes the rubber."

The key is that there will be a next time for Buttó, who's solidifying a starting role in a rotation in need of depth while ace Kodai Senga is out.

"I'm just thinking: Do my job," Buttó said. "When they say, 'You've got this game,' I'm going to be ready to help the team win."