Jacob deGrom continues to dominate at a historic pace, and he was back to breaking records and setting new career highs on Friday night.
After matching his career-high with 14 strikeouts against the Rockies less than a week ago, deGrom was at it again against the Nationals, surpassing that mark with a new career-best 15 strikeouts in a complete game shutout victory. He allowed just two hits and retired the last 19 batters he faced.
As deGrom's strikeout total increases (he now has 50 through four starts, a major-league record), the words to fittingly describe his dominance dwindles.
deGrom’s ridiculous strikeout total is the highest by a Mets pitcher since Al Leiter fanned 15 against the Cubs in August of 1999. It’s the righty’s third game in a row with at least 14 strikeouts, a feat accomplished by only Pedro Martinez in 1999 and Gerrit Cole in 2019. No pitcher has ever reached that total in four straight outings, but deGrom will give it a shot next week.
The way he’s looked on the mound to start the season, it’s hard to have any doubt he’ll set that new record.
Not only was deGrom flashing his Cy Young stuff on the mound, he continued his strong season at the plate, taking matters into his own hands when the game was scoreless in the fifth by lacing an RBI single the opposite way for his fifth straight game with a hit.
The last time a Mets pitcher did that was Mike Hampton in 2000.
Of course, deGrom wasn’t done at the plate. After emerging from the dugout and getting a standing ovation as he stepped into the on deck circle in the bottom of the eighth, signifying that Luis Rojas would let his ace go for the complete game shutout, deGrom poked a single for his sixth his of the year, raising his season batting average to .545.
The single was followed by “MVP” chants at Citi Field. The last pitcher to win the MVP was Clayton Kershaw in 2014. For context, Kershaw allowed 11 earned runs and struck out 28 batters through his first four outings of that MVP season. deGrom, through his first four outings, has allowed one earned run and struck out 50.
New York was able to get some more run support and win easy 6-0, but with the way deGrom was pitching on Friday, his RBI single was likely all he needed.
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