Former Cougar Zac Thornton earns first Major League victory, credits Barton for building confidence #GoBarton

Former Barton Community College pitcher Zac Thornton continued his remarkable start to his Major League career Tuesday night, collecting the first victory of his big league career after tossing six scoreless innings in the New York Mets' 4-0 victory over the Major League-leading Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field.

Making his fourth Major League start, Thornton surrendered just three hits while striking out two and walking one over six scoreless innings on 81 pitches. The left-hander worked through traffic in both the opening and sixth innings before extending his scoreless streak to 18 consecutive innings.

Thornton's biggest test came in the sixth after surrendering back-to-back leadoff singles. The former Cougar answered by elevating a fastball past Jackson Chourio for his second strikeout of the night before the Mets erased the lead runner on the basepaths. Thornton escaped the jam as the ensuing batter, Brice Turang, lifted a fly ball to deep left field where fellow rookie A.J. Ewing made a spectacular catch to preserve the shutout and cap Thornton's six scoreless innings.

Through his first four Major League starts, Thornton has compiled a 1.93 earned run average and 0.86 WHIP across 23.1 innings while limiting opponents to just 14 hits and six walks with 17 strikeouts.

Facing a gauntlet of postseason contenders, Thornton has been even more dominant over his last three starts against the Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox and Major League-leading Milwaukee Brewers. During that stretch, the left-hander has put together an active 18-inning scoreless streak while holding opponents to a .159 batting average, allowing just 10 hits and striking out 14 across 19 innings.

Thornton's aggressive approach and poise on the mound have come as no surprise to Mets interim manager Andy Green, who has watched the former Cougar's development throughout his climb to the Major Leagues. "Same guy—unafraid and attacking." Green said. "He went after every hitter."

Green believes Thornton's confidence has remained a constant despite the jump to baseball's highest level. "I don't think he's ever lacked for confidence, but the more good outings you stack, the more certain you become that you can win at this level," Green said. "Ever since settling into his debut, he's been his typical confident self. He's looked the same to me on the mound as he did in Aberdeen and everywhere else I've seen him pitch. He's done a really nice job."

Speaking during his postgame interview with SNY, Thornton said the confidence Green reference began during his freshman season at Barton. "I would say that my first year in college, I had no Division I offers. I was going to a junior college in Great Bend, Kansas — Barton Community College — and I think those coaches just did a really good job — Brent Biggs and Brett McBride — of installing confidence into me. They gave me the utmost confidence in myself, and I just kind of ran with that."

McBride said Thornton's early success in the Major Leagues is a reflection of the approach he developed during his time at Barton. "I think it's really cool that, in a game that's become so complicated over the years, Zac is showing the simple things can still work," McBride said. "He works with a good tempo, throws strikes and lets his defense work behind him."

Although Tuesday marked the first victory of his Major League career, Thornton said the individual milestone took a backseat to helping the Mets continue to win. "I've always wanted to help this team win ball games. It's always been my number one thing as a baseball player, not my personal accolades or anything like that," Thornton said. "I've always been very team driven and wanted to be a part of a winning and successful team."

If the rotation holds, Thornton is expected to make his next start Monday, July 27, as the Mets open a series against the National League East-leading Atlanta Braves. First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. CT at Citi Field in Queens, New York.