(AUDACY Sports) After using just eight pitches to retire the Atlanta Braves in the top of the first inning Monday, New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom became the first pitcher in the league to have his glove and hat checked as MLB begins to crack down on pitchers using foreign substances.
Now the odds-on National League MVP favorite, deGrom aced (pun intended) the test.
"Thank God they didn't go that far," Mets legend Keith Hernandez said on SNY's telecast when deGrom was shown unhooking his belt to show the umpires, to which broadcast partner Ron Darling quipped, "He took it a lot better than I would've taken it."
After setting the Braves down in order again in the second inning, deGrom was checked a second time. There were no issues again for deGrom, who entered the day with a minuscule 0.54 ERA.
To be fair, Braves starter Kyle Muller was also checked after his first inning of work. Like deGrom, he passed.
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