DeGrom lasts 1 inning, Williams homer lifts Philadelphia to victory

PHILADELPHIA — Jacob deGrom felt great in his return from the disabled list. He didn’t allow a run or even a hit.

Trouble was, deGrom, lasted only one inning,

DeGrom needed 45 pitches to get three outs, and pinch-hitter Nick Williams had a go-ahead, three-run homer off Paul Seward in the sixth inning that carried the Philadelphia Phillies over the Mets 4-2 Sunday.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen somebody throw 40-something pitches and not give up a run,” Mets manager Mickey Callaway said.

After missing a start because of a hyperextended right elbow, DeGrom said he had control of only his fastball and slider as he walked his first three batters. New York removed him as a precaution because of the length of the inning and the 59-minute rain delay that preceded it.

“He felt fine. We just didn’t feel good sending him back out,” Callaway said. “We can’t do that to anybody. That’s a lot of pitches for one inning.”

Philadelphia fouled off 20 pitches in the first. That led to a strange scenario of deGrom being pinch hit for in the second inning of a scoreless game.

“I was kind of surprised, honestly,” deGrom said. “I definitely would have liked to have gone back out there. The reasoning, I understand. But who wants to pitch one inning as a starter?”

Cesar Hernandez, Aaron Altherr and Odubel Hernandez each walked on six pitches. DeGrom struck out Rhys Hoskins, got Carlos Santana to ground back to the mound and fanned Maikel Franco to end a 10-pitch at-bat. That extended deGrom’s scoreless streak to 19 1/3 innings, the longest active streak in the majors.

The pitches were deGrom’s most in a big league inning, topping his 37 at a rookie in the first inning at Atlanta on July 2, 2014.

“I’d like to think I would have been able to figure it out,” deGrom said.

“But who knows?”

Derik Hamilton / Associated Press Cesar Hernandez, right, reaches to tag out New York’s Wilmer Flores for a double play during the sixth inning on Sunday.