It was a less-than-ideal April for both the Mets and Yankees, but not for their aces.
Jacob deGrom and Gerrit Cole were both named Pitcher of the Month in their respective leagues on Monday, marking the first time since the award was introduced to the AL in 1979 that winners from both leagues came from New York.
It was, surprisingly, the first time deGrom was named Pitcher of the Month despite being a two-time Cy Young Award winner and first time a Mets pitcher has won it since Matt Harvey in 2013.
DeGrom posted a 0.51 ERA with 59 strikeouts in 35 innings while allowing just four walks and 16 hits in five April starts. His month was highlighted by a career-best 15-strikeout game against the Washington Nationals on April 23 as part of a two-hit shutout.
DeGrom's 50 strikeouts also passed Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan and Indians ace Shane Bieber as the most by a pitcher in his first four starts of a season.
Over in the Bronx, Cole was rather dominant himself.
The Yankees ace went 4-1 in six starts with a 1.43 ERA and 62 strikeouts to three walks over 37.2 innings pitched. His 62 strikeouts are the most by a Yankees pitcher in a single month since Ron Guidry struck out 64 in June of 1978, when he won the Cy Young.
Cole has won four of the last seven AL Pitcher of the Month awards and is the first Yankee to win it since Masahiro Tanaka in 2014.
In his last start on April 30, Cole struck out 12 batters and allowed just four hits and no walks over six innings in a 10-0 Yankees win over the Tigers.
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