Joe Benigno has made it clear that he isn't the biggest fan of Jacob deGrom, and doesn't want to pay him a massive contract this offseason.
But now, Joe knows that deGrom is the only pitcher who can save the Mets' season on Saturday in a do-or-die game two against the Padres, and he wants to see deGrom turn in an old-school, dominant performance to send New York to a winner-take-all game three on Sunday.
"I want to see eight innings tonight from freaking Jacob deGrom," Joe said. "I don't want to hear about your blister, I don't want to hear about 86 pitches and I gotta get him out of here. This is it!
"At least seven, and then [Edwin] Diaz. Enough! How much more are we gonna baby the guy before he goes and pitches for the Texas Rangers?"
DeGrom hasn't looked like himself in recent starts, but he has gotten some extra rest heading into this start, and Joe wants to see him empty the tank and grind into the eighth inning and shut down a San Diego lineup that teed off on Max Scherzer on Friday.
Anything less would be a disappointment.
"We need the Jacob deGrom of 2015, that's what we need," Joe said. "The bulldog with the long hair, going out there even when he doesn't have his best stuff, and going out against the Dodgers and getting the job done."
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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