Mets magic:
Mets pitcher rebounds from slow spring for hot start, with 1.54 ERA after two outings
Behind Jacob deGrom’s tenacity, the Mets are proving they might be back to their dominant 2015 form.
It’s in those moments where the game hangs in the balance that Jacob deGrom shows why he has been one of the major leagues’ best pitchers dating to 2014.
Not every pitcher can thrive when the odds are against them, when they know that one pitch can spoil their afternoon and send their team to a loss. DeGrom has shown repeatedly that he can.
Take last week’s first meeting between the Mets and the Nationals. Protecting a two-run lead in the sixth inning, deGrom loaded the bases with no outs with the 4-5-6 hitters in Washington’s lineup due up. A sellout crowd of 42,477 roared knowing that one hit could tie the score. DeGrom didn’t flinch. Soft fly out. Lineout. Strikeout. Crisis avoided.
“You got to find a way to make a pitch when you need to,” DeGrom says. “Still trust in my stuff even when it’s not great and just make pitches when I need to.”
As the Mets have started the year hot with a 7-1 record that includes a sweep of Washington, deGrom has once again shown why he will be in the Cy Young conversation by going 2-0 with a 1.54 ERA in his first two outings. The righty has rebounded well after being slowed down during spring training, and his performance will play a large role in whether the Mets can return to the playoffs for the third time in four seasons.
“It’s his ability to go out there and attack hitters. When you have a really good stuff, and they are relentless and attack hitters, they’re gonna have a pretty good year or career or day,” Mets manager Mickey Callaway says. “That’s probably the thing that stands out the most is his fearlessness to attack hitters without wondering what might happen. He goes out there and just gets after it.”
On a staff filled with young, powerful arms, deGrom does not generate the same type of headlines and buzz like his fellow rotation members. Noah Syndergaard is known as “Thor” for his 100 mph headlines and golden locks, and Matt Harvey once owned the city under his “Dark Knight” moniker.
DeGrom is known to some as the “DeGrominator” — which hasn’t caught on like “Thor” and “Dark Knight” — and it’s a fair nickname because deGrom has dominated opponents since entering the league. The righty is 47-32 with a 2.95 ERA in 109 starts and has twice finished in the top 10 in the NL Cy Young voting.
The one characteristic that has defined deGrom’s tenure with the Mets is his ability to push through even on days when he just doesn’t have his pitches workings. The 29-yearold knows how to pitch and is a battler. He finds a way to salvage an outing rather than let it spin out of control. His most famous example of this occurred in Game 5 of the NLDS against the Dodgers in 2015.
Facing Zack Greinke at Dodgers Stadium, deGrom put the Mets in a 2-1 hole in the first inning. He stranded two that inning and then displayed his best Houdini impression.
He somehow navigated six innings of two-run ball despite the Dodgers tallying 13 at-bats with runners in scoring position, and he held them hitless in their 11 final opportunities in such chances. Terry Collins, the Mets manager at the time, nearly pulled deGrom after he put runners on first and third with one out in the third inning in a 2-1 game, but deGrom induced an inning-ending double-play grounder.
DeGrom remembers seeing constant activity in the bullpen all game, yet he somehow left with a 3-2 lead that eventually held as the Mets ultimately made the World Series that year.
“Anytime you don’t have your best stuff and keep your team in the game and give them a chance to win a game, it’s defi- nitely a plus,” deGrom says. “You make about 30 starts per season. I’ve heard people say: 10 of them are with your best stuff, 10 are OK and 10 you have you worst stuff. It’s those 10 when you have bad stuff of finding a way to keep your team in the game to win.”
DeGrom is already off to a hot start this year while he looks to build off his first 200-inning season of his career. Hitting that mark last year during the Mets’ 70-92 season mattered to the righty since he knows that the best starters are those who can be relied upon to make 30-plus starts each year.
In his season debut against the Cardinals, deGrom yielded one run in 52⁄ innings while 3 striking out seven. Last week, deGrom outdueled Stephen Strasburg by holding Washington to two runs in six innings. (Note: He was scheduled to make his third start at the Miami Marlins before Sports Weekly hit newsstands.)
DeGrom went 15-10 with a 3.53 ERA last year while making a career-best 31 starts. He was the only starter among the seven the Mets entered the year with not to land on the disabled list at some point.
If deGrom has another stellar season, it should allow the Mets to compete with the Nationals for the NL East title. There are few teams that can match a onetwo combination of Syndergaard and deGrom.
And there are also few pitchers in the majors who can match deGrom’s ability to battle in each and every start, even on those nights when opponents should clobber him only to ultimately score two runs.
“I feel good,” deGrom says. “Looking forward to some warmer weather.”
He adds: “This team is a lot of fun to be around. It’s been a blast so far.”