Acce s the Mets beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets. PORT ST. LUCIE This was the version of David Peterson the Mets came to know last year, the version of Peterson theyll need perhaps even more critically again this year. The southpaw made his first Grapefruit League outing on Monday against the Marlins and picked up right where he left off last year, to sing three scorele s innings with five strikeouts and surrendering just one hit and no walks. Really good, manager Carlos Mendoza said of Peterson. Three [innings], all of his pitches were really, really good, especially the slider. Thats a pitch that, last year, he had trouble with, in my opinion. Today, he got some swings and mi ses. Fastball was really good for the first time out. Curveball, everything. David Peterson throws a pitch during his spring training appearance for the Mets on March 3. Imagn Images Peterson entered in the third inning and struck out two of the first three batters he faced in a perfect frame, then navigated around a leadoff single in the fourth before another 1-2-3 frame in Sean Guenther Jersey the fifth. He threw 37 total pitches, 25 of which were strikes, forced five swings-and-mi ses and topped out at 94 mph in an impre sive showing. He threw his slider nine times, four for strikes. Explore More And four of his five forced swings-and-mi ses came from that slider. It was a rare weak spot for Peterson last year, when opposing hitters owned a .287 average and .777 OPS against the pitch, per FanGraphs way higher than any of his other pitches. Perhaps its a sign theres another level to his game. Felt like I was able to execute some good sliders, fastball felt good coming out, Peterson said. I had some curveballs later on that we were able to work on. I was able to see some good stuff out of everything. David Peterson, pictured Feb. 13, made his Grapefruit League debut for the Mets on Monday. Corey Sipkin for the NY Post He followed Kodai Senga, who . Both are being counted on atop a Mets rotation that is filled with question marks. Petersons breakout 2024 showing when he had a 2.90 ERA in 21 starts in the regular season solidified him as a mainstay in the rotation this year after bouncing between the minors and majors the first four years of his career. Put simply, the Mets need to be able to count on Peterson. Delivering insights on all things Amazins Sign up for Inside the Mets by Mike Puma, exclusively on Sports+ Thank you By clicking above you agree to the and . Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Monday was a strong start. To be the same guy, Mendoza said about what he wants to see from Peterson. Last year, felt like when he got in trouble, he made pitches when needed. More of the confidence of, Im one of the guys here. My stuff plays against any lineup. Just more of that, the conviction. Casey Mize Jersey