New York Daily News

BACK TO LITTLE LEAGUE

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finishes the year with a career-high 15 wins and 201 innings. After having to shut down his year early in 2016 to have surgery to move his ulnar nerve, deGrom had marked 200 innings as his goal.

“He’s outstandin­g. He’s an outstandin­g kid, outstandin­g pitcher, one of the best competitor­s I’ve ever had and he’s gonna be good for a long time,” Terry Collins said. “Certainly he wanted to pitch tomorrow, we just said it’s in the best interest that we don’t. Hopefully he gets better.”

DeGrom understood, but there is a sense of unfinished business after a disappoint­ing season.

“This is a team game and I am not happy where the team ended up,” deGrom said. “You go out there and you pitch. You have goals you want to meet, but it’s much more fun to meet them when you are winning.”

And that is what deGrom hopes the Mets get back to next season. He thinks that if the team can find a way to stay healthy in 2018, they will be back in the playoffs, just like the last two years.

“Look at the amount of guys we missed,” deGrom said. “There for awhile every day somebody was going down. So get them healthy and next year, I think we’ll be all right.”

The Mets began the season with seven potential starters and six spent time on the disabled list this season. Steven Matz, who had the same surgery to move his ulnar nerve that deGrom had last year, and Zack Wheeler, who had upper arm discomfort, are shut down for

In what seems like an appropriat­e move, the Mets will play in Williamspo­rt next season. No, the flailing Amazin’s haven’t been demoted, but they will play in the second “MLB Little League Classic” next Aug. 19 at historic Bowman Field against the Phillies.

Tying together their exhaustive coverage of the Little League World Series to their Sunday Night Baseball commitment, ESPN will broadcast the game.

The MLB Little League Classic debuted this season with the Cardinals and Pirates. The minorleagu­e ballpark, one of the oldest in the country, was filled with Little League players, coaches and family members. The MLB players arrived early in the day and took part in activities tied to the Little League World Series.

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