JUPITER, Fla. (KMOX) - If major-leaguers can’t hit Jacob deGrom, what chance did the Low-A Palm Beach Cardinals stand? The two-time Cy Young winner showed the St. Louis Cardinals Minor Leaguers no mercy in his rehab start Thursday night, claiming eight strikeout victims over three hitless innings for St. Lucie.
Although the Mets ace got the win, the Cardinals' social media team was on fire with some viral and hilarious tweets.
His first pitch of the game was 102 mph and it only got worse (for the Cardinals) from there.
He struck out all six batters he faced in the second and third innings. And made the teenagers, 20- and 21-year-olds look silly:
But the Cardinals got the last laugh, with a perfect dig at the Mets:
Shelved since complaining of side tightness against the Diamondbacks on May 9th, deGrom looked unstoppable over his 41 pitches, touching as high as 102 mph on the radar gun. DeGrom may need another start to build up his pitch count, but based on his performance Thursday, the Mets ace looks to be 100 percent.
Not only did deGrom appear healthy, but the 6’4” hurler also treated his teammates to a pre-game meal, ordering Chick-fil-A for the whole squad.
Before he got hurt, the 32-year-old was off to a blistering start, submitting a 0.68 ERA with 65 punch-outs (still good for 12th in the majors despite his two-week absence) over 40 masterful innings. DeGrom has averaged an absurd 99 mph on his four-seamer this year, nearly two miles per hour faster than the league’s next-hardest thrower (Sandy Alcantara at 97.3).
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