This win product of putting in work
SAN FRANCISCO — The rest of the Mets can learn from Jacob deGrom.
When he had his issues this season, he fixed them the old-fashioned way. He worked and worked to get it right.
“He’s a workaholic,” manager Terry Collins said. “Worked hard at fixing the things that needed to be fixed. It paid off. He studied himself. So he and Dan [Warthen, pitching coach] used a lot of video and straightened out some things mechanically, and he is pitching now like he normally does.”
Sure, Asdrubal Cabrera sees himself as a shortstop, but play second.
Sure, Noah Syndergaard didn’t want to have another MRI exam taken, but take the MRI exam.
Don’t make this harder than it should be. Sure, you may not be having the season you want to be as a player, but just work to fix it.
That work paid off with a third straight victory for deGrom, 5-2 over the Giants at AT&T Park on Saturday, in eight innings of brilliant work. DeGrom picked up a tip from Hall of Famer John Smoltz that has made a huge difference, throwing two light side sessions between starts.
“I had a good conversation with John Smoltz about it,” deGrom said. “He said he threw two sides for 10 years. You get on the mound more and you are more familiar with your delivery.”
Jay Bruce also fits that mold, too. He puts his head down and goes to work. It was Bruce who lashed an RBI-single in the eighth to give the Mets the lead after the Giants tied it 1-1 on Brandon Belt’s home run in the seventh.
If Bruce is asked to play first base, he plays it to the best of his ability. A side note here, if the Yankees continue to struggle with first base, perhaps the Mets and Yankees can work out a rare trade because Bruce could play first as well as Chris Carter did.
Wilmer Flores also is that type of player. Head down, do the best you can, and on Saturday, he homered and doubled in a run.
There is a great lesson here for all the Mets: Forge ahead. When things go wrong, work to fix the problem. Same goes for the Mets front office. When mistakes are made, make an adjustment.
There are so many bad teams out there that a tweak here or there and suddenly a positive change could make a huge difference.
The day before his start against the Cubs on June 12 that turned this all around, I asked deGrom in Atlanta what has to change.
“It’s up to me,” he said. “I just need to make better pitches.”
That sounds simple, but that’s the bottom line in baseball. This was deGrom’s third straight victory. He beat the Cubs 6-1, a complete-game victory. He pitched eight innings to beat the Nationals, 5-1. Three starts, two earned runs.
DeGrom is the real ace of the Mets. He is durable and he gets it done. Amazingly, in 41 of his first 91 career starts deGrom has allowed one run or fewer. That’s Doc Gooden territory when Gooden was at the top of his game.
There have been rumors the Astros would love to acquire deGrom. The Mets would be crazy to trade deGrom simply because of his talent and demeanor. He may not have a comic-book character nickname, but he is an example of what pitching is all about. Outwork and outthink the competition.
DeGrom just turned 29. He is in his prime.
Here is another example of what makes deGrom good. The other day in Los Angeles, five hours before the game, deGrom was in the outfield running. He did that every day in LA. DeGrom was doing his running in right field. Over in left, another pitcher was running — the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw.
Later, the two saw each other by home plate and had a long conversation.
“He’s just a nice guy,” deGrom told The Post of Kershaw. “I met him at the AllStar Game in ’15. Just every time I see him, I try to say hello.”
DeGrom is 7-3 with a 3.71 ERA. The two will meet again at future All-Star games. A converted college shortstop is one of the best pitchers in the NL.
The Mets would be lost without him.