Eduardo Rodríguez delivered a masterful performance on the mound Thursday night, winning a highly anticipated pitching rematch against Nolan McLean and powering the Arizona Diamondbacks to a decisive 7-1 victory over the New York Mets.

The game was a direct sequel to the World Baseball Classic final, where Rodríguez pitched for champion Venezuela against McLean's Team USA. This time, the Diamondbacks' left-hander emerged victorious, allowing just one run over six strong innings to earn his first win of the season.

The game was a tense pitchers' duel until the seventh inning, when the Diamondbacks' offense erupted. Trailing 1-0, Arizona broke through against McLean and the Mets' bullpen, scoring four runs on key hits from Gabriel Moreno, Alek Thomas, and Jorge Barrosa. They added two more insurance runs in the eighth to put the game out of reach.

While Rodríguez scattered five hits, his only mistake was a first-inning solo home run to Luis Robert Jr. McLean was equally sharp for most of his outing, striking out eight over 6 1/3 innings, but was ultimately charged with the loss as the Diamondbacks capitalized late.

The Diamondbacks managed the win despite the absence of star outfielder Corbin Carroll, who sat out with a sore left hip flexor. The team now looks ahead, continuing their east coast road trip against the Philadelphia Phillies this weekend.