It is June 1, two months into the 2021 MLB season, and Jacob deGrom leads the majors with an 0.71 ERA.
Just how rare is that?
It is the lowest ERA for a qualified starter through the end of May since Chris Short posted a 0.64 ERA for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1964. It is the fourth-lowest ERA through a pitcher's first eight starts of the season dating back to 1912 for the NL and 1913 for the AL, per Elias Sports Bureau.
The last pitcher to have a sub-1.00 ERA through the end of May was Ubaldo Jimenez for the Colorado Rockies in in 2010 with a 0.78 mark.
Bob Gibson's 1.12 ERA in 1968 is the best single-season mark since the dead-ball era. Through the end of May of his historic season, Gibson had a 1.53 ERA.
Needless to say, deGrom is in some rare and historic company. But it's not just his impressive ERA — which amounts to four earned runs over 51 innings pitched in eight starts — it is how he is doing it.
On Monday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, deGrom — in his second start back from a brief IL stint — threw 10 pitches of 101-plus mph over the first four innings. No starting pitcher has ever thrown more in a single game since pitch-tracking began in 2008. (Noah Syndergaard and Yordano Ventura are the only others to reach 10 in a start.)
He also did not allow a hit until the fifth inning and struck out eight batters on 70 pitches, bringing his total to 82 in 51 innings pitched for a K/9 ratio of 14.5, which would be a career high. He ranks seventh in the NL in strikeouts, but every pitcher in front of him has made at least two more starts.
Mets fans who made the journey to Chase Field even chanted "M-V-P," which would be a rarity for a pitcher to win.
DeGrom probably could have kept going, too, but was on a strict pitch count as he returns from experiencing inflammation on his right side.
"What we're watching is definitely something special. In my mind, he's in a league of his own," Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly said, per MLB.com. "The fact that he as the stuff that he has and can command it the way that he does, I think, is probably what sets him apart the most. You know, there's lot of guys in this league that throw 90-100 [mph], but he pitches with it, and it's relentless, and it's every single pitch."
The 32-year-old Mets ace is already a borderline Hall of Famer with two Cy Young Awards to his name. If he keeps this up, it is easy to see a third one in his future and a much stronger argument for his Hall credentials when his career is over.
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