Jacob deGrom (Part Two) Back-to-Back Cy Young Seasons & Another Post Season (2018 - 2022)

Jacob deGrom's 2008 Cy Young Season: In Spring Training of 2018 all the news was about deGrom cutting his famous hair. Usually his sister, a former hairdresser would trim his long hair at their parents' house in DeLand Florida, at Spring Training. This year he decided it was time for a change & it made headlines.

On Opening Day, Jacob pitched into the 6th inning allowing a run on four hits to the Cardinals in a 6-2 Mets win. He struck out seven to start the season 1-0.

In his second game, he went 2-0 with a win over the Nationals in D.C. On April 16th he faced the Nat's at Citi Field & struck out 12 in a loss where he got no decision.

On April 21st, deGrom pitched seven scoreless innings in Atlanta, exiting in a scoreless game as Julio Teheran shut out the Mets thru seven as well. 

The Mets put up three in the top of the 8th, but the Braves won it in the bottom of the 9th. He collected his second straight double-digit strikeout game with ten K's.

On April 27th, in San Diego he pitched another 7.1 scoreless innings, striking out eight & walking three, this time collecting his third victory to get to 3-0.

On May 2nd he shut out the Braves thru four innings then left the game with an injury. He went on the DL returning on May 13th to pitch one scoreless inning. 

Career High 13 K Game: He returned five days later & matched his career high up to that point, with 13 strike outs in a 3-1 win over Arizona at Citi Field to get to 4-0. He allowed one run in seven innings of work, walking no one. He lowered his season ERA to 1.83 & it would only go down from there never going higher that that number all year.

From May 23rd to June 2nd, he made three starts & only gave up two runs in 21 innings of work, while striking out 29 batters. he earned no decisions in any of the games, as the Mets bullpen lost all three games to Miami, Atlanta & the Chicago Cubs. 

13 Strike Out Game: On June 2nd he matched his career high up to that point, 13 strike outs, for the second time in the season. In that game the Mets lost 7-1 with deGrom only giving up a run through seven innings.

On June 8th he took a 4-1 loss in the subway series giving up three runs including a HR to Bret Gardner. On June 13th he lost his second straight game, as Michael Soroka & the Braves bullpen shut out the Mets 2-0.

On June 18th in Colardo, the Mets gave him the most run support all season, as they scored 12 runs for him as he got to 5-2 on the year. He gave up one earned run pitching eight innings lowering his ERA to 1.1.

2018 All Star: At the break he was 5-4 with a 1.68 ERA, the second-best ERA at the break in
Mets history behind Dwight Gooden. deGrom was named to his second All-Star team becoming the 13th Mets pitcher to appear in multi-All-Star Games.

deGrom relieved Max Scherzer coming on in the 3rd inning, allowing a HR to the Angels Mike Trout in the AL's 8-6 win at Nationals Park in Washington D.C. 

In his first two starts after the break, he gave up three runs each time, taking a 3-2 loss to the Padres Joey Lucchesi. In his next loss the Mets were shut out 5-0 by the Pirates Trevor Williams (6 innings) & their bullpen. deGrom would only allow three earned runs in one more game the rest of the season in his next 11 starts.

On August 3rd, he suffered his fifth straight losing decision, despite giving up just two runs as the Mets took a 2-1 loss to Anibal Sanchez & the Braves. 

MLB Record for No Run Support: It was the 10th time that season he gave up two runs or less without earning a victory. That season, he also set an MLB record where he allowed three runs or less in 19 games without earning a victory, thanks to poor run support.

On August 8th, he started a personal three game win streak, with a win over the Reds. He shut out Cincinnati for six innings, reaching double figures in strikeouts for the sixth time on the season with 10 K's in the 8-0 Mets win.

On August 13th, he struck out 12 batters, with his seventh double figure strike out game. It came in the subway series where he pitched into the 7th inning giving up three runs, two earned. The Mets hit five HRs in the 8-5 win in the Bronx.

Complete Game Win & 200 Season Strike Outs: On August 18th in Philadelphia, he earned
his 7th win of the year, his third straight beating the Phillies in a complete game victory. It was his third career complete game having done in the past two seasons as well. deGrom gave up just ne run on seven hits while fanning nine, issuing no walks. 

In the game, he passed the 200 strike out mark for the second straight season & the third time in his career. At that point in the season, hitters were batting just .205 against him & his ERA was 1.71.

On August 23rd he gave up two runs, one was unearned due to a passed ball on catcher Devin Mesoraco. He took a 2-1 loss as Madison Bumgarner shut down the Mets on a run in eight innings & Will Smith earned the save. Another bad luck no run support game for deGrom.

In his next start he went another eight innings allowing one run in a game that was suspended.

In September he became the first Mets pitcher to strike out 45 batters while walking just five in a Calander month. That month he posted his third straight month of an ERA below two.

On September 26th in his last start of the year, he shut out the Braves on two hits pitching eight innings. He reached double figures in strike outs for the 11th time on the season with 10 K's. With the ten K's he reached the 1000th career strike out mark, making it there faster than any Mets pitcher in franchise history (897.2 innings).

The 2018 Mets finished fourth at 77-85 under Mickey Callaway.

2018 Cy Young Award: Jacob deGrom was a unanimous selection for the 2018 Cy Young Award.

He was the fourth Mets pitcher to win the award. He also came in fifth place for the NL MVP voting. He finished the year leading the league in ERA (1.70) That was the 11th best season ERA of all pitchers in the last 100 years. His 1.70 ERA was second best to Dwight Gooden in team history. He allowed three runs or less in each of his last 29 starts, the longest single season streak in MLB history.

At Citi Field he posted a 1.54 ERA & on the road his 1.87 ERA led all pitchers with at least 75 innings of work. 

deGrom struck out 269 batters (second most in the NL & fourth best in the majors). His 269 strikeouts were the fourth highest total for a Mets pitcher in franchise history. His 11.157 strike outs per nine innings was also second best in the NL.

Because of the lack of run support, he went 10-9. He led the NL making 13 starts where a pitcher went at least seven innings & allowed no more than one run. In those 13 starts he was credited with just five wins.

Since the mound was lowered in 1969, he is just the third pitcher to have at least 30 starts, toss 210 innings & post a 1.70 ERA. The others were the Mets, Dwight Gooden (1985) & Arizona's Zack Greinke. 

In the modern era, he is the only pitcher to post an ERA below 2.00 have 260 o more strikeouts with 50 or fewer walks & allow ten HRs or less. He never gave up more than one HR in any game.

deGrom's base on balls per 9 innings (1.908) was the league's third best. He was also second with 217 innings pitched. Opponents went 0-13 with nine strike outs against him when the bases were loaded.  

Jacob also posted the league's best ERA (1.79) against team with a .500 record or better.

In the 2019 off season, deGrom's agent Brodie Van Wagen became the teams General Manager. Instead of a long dragged out contract negotiation, the Mets gave him the largest raise any arbitration eligible player ever got. deGrom got a $137.5 million five-year, contract extension with an option for 2024.

2019: With excitement starting out the 2019 season, deGrom got his first Opening Day start. 

On March 28th, he started out where he left off in 2018, pitching six shutout innings, allowing five hits, striking out ten Nationals& allowing one walk in the Mets 2-0 win.

14 Strike Out Game: On April 3rd deGrom pitched seven shutout innings in South Florida, striking out a career high up to that point, 14 batters. He walked just one, giving up three hits. deGrom started out the season at 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA having not given up any runs.

First HR of the Season: In the 3rd inning, deGrom hit a solo HR off Trevor Richards for his first HR of the season. It was his second career HR.

From there on, he had three terrible outings, taking losses in all three games, like a deGrom no one had ever seen before. 

On April 9th he gave up a season high six runs & three HRs to the Twins in a14-8 loss to Minnesota at Citi Field.

Next the Braves got him for three runs in five innings, with two more HRs in a 7-3 Met loss. He did strike out nine.

It was feared that he may have injured his elbow on his throwing arm.  

Quotes- Jacob deGrom: "It was just a little sore, I had been sick since Atlanta, kind of had a whole-body soreness. For me when I don't throw, it seems things pop up. I wasn't on my normal routine. I was trying to just get enough in to be able to make my starts & I just felt a little soreness in my elbow. I decided to say something."

He felt fine, was checked out fine by doctors, no MRI needed & he was taken off the IL.

But in his next start, the Brewers pounded him for five runs over four innings, as he ended April 2-3 with a 4.85 ERA.

On May 1st, deGrom pitched seven innings of shutout ball against Cincinnati at Citi Field.

But the anemic Mets offense couldn't muster up any offense against Anthony DeSclafani & the Reds bullpen. Jacob took a no decision in a 1-0 Met loss, where Edwin Diaz served up a 9th inning HR to Jose Iglesias.

On May 6th, Jacob took another loss as the Padres shut out New York in San Diego 4-0. deGrom fell to a lowly 2-4.

On May 11th he recorded his first victory in over a month, as he beat the Marlins at Citi Field 4-1. He allowed one run on five hits while striking out eight. 

But on May 17th, his next start, the Marlins got him for seven runs & nine hits over just five innings, leading to loss #five. 

On May 22nd he had personal catcher Tomas Nido behind the plate & it resulted in just two runs allowed over six innings. The Mets won the game 6-1 over the Nat's in Citi Field, but deGrom got no decision.

Trivia: In games where Nido was catching him his ERA was 0.67 & games where his battery mate was Wilson Ramos, his ERA was 5.33. 

As the Mets went west for a Memorial Day game against the Dodgers in L.A. Tomas Nido was back behind the plate. deGrom went through five innings leaving with a 3-2 lead against Clayton Kershaw. But the Mets bullpen blew the lead & it was another Mets loss.

On June 1st the Mets took a 6-5 loss in Arizona, deGrom gave up just one run as he struck out seven, giving up five hits into the 7th inning. 

On June 7th, he suffered a loss, but only gave up two runs in a 5-1 Mets loss to the Rockies at Citi Field. It was his third double digit strike out game, his first in two months as he struck out ten. After another no decision he went on the four-game win streak.

On June 18th in Atlanta, he finally got offensive run support as the Mets scored ten runs. 

deGrom pitched into the 9th inning, as he struck out ten batters again, allowing two runs on five hits with no walks issued for the second straight game. The Mets beat the Braves 10-2 as deGrom went to 4-6.

On June 28th the Braves beat him at Citi Field, as he gave up three runs, the most he had given up in his last seven starts. His record fell to 4-7 on the year.

2019 All Star: But as July started, things began to turn around for him & the Mets. First off, he was voted to his third All Star team, representing the Mets along with Pete Alonso & Jeff McNeil in Cleveland. 

As Pete Alonso stole the show winning the HR derby, deGrom pitched a scoreless 3rd inning for the NL, striking out George Springer & retiring DJ LeMahieu & Mike Trout. The AL won the game 4-3.

After the break, deGrom would win four straight decisions. In that time, he suffered five no decisions, while never allowing more than two earned runs in those games. In two of those games, he didn't allow any earned runs. 

In two other games, he allowed just one run, including an 11 strike out performance against the Chicago White Sox & a season high 13 strike out game against the Braves. 

On July 14th in South Florida, deGrom beat the Marlins in a 6-2 Mets win. He gave up just one run, which came in the 2nd inning. He shut down the Marlins for the next four innings & stared an 18-game scoreless streak. 

On July 19th, he matched zeroes with the Giants, Tyler Beede in San Francisco. deGrom had his sixth double digit strike out game of the season, as he fanned ten. He allowed no runs on three hits & exited in the 8th inning. He got no decision as the Mets took a 1-0 loss on a Pablo Sandoval Walk off hit off Jacob Rhame.

On July 25th, he pitched seven shutout innings over San Diego at Citi Field. He now had extended his scoreless inning streak to 18 innings going back three games & lowered his ERA under three to 2.86. His ERA would drop off from there never reaching that number again on the season.

deGrom struck out nine Padres & walked just one to earn his sixth win of the year. This was the first win in the Mets seven game win streak. 

After another no decision, he beat the Marlins at Citi Field to get to .500. In that game he struck out eight, walked just one & gave up two runs on five hits in a 6-2 Mets win. The win was the Mets third in another Mets win streak, these one of eight games.

On August 11th, a 1st inning Pete Alonso bases loaded throwing error, led to three unearned runs for the Nationals. He earned no decision in the 7-4 loss, as deGrom pitched five innings allowing the three unearned runs.

On August 17th, after the Mets lost four of five games, deGrom started another Mets win streak. On this night the Mets were in Kansas City & deGrom pitched seven innings, giving up just a run on three hits, as the Mets went on to a 4-1 win, getting him over the .500 mark at 8-7. His ERA was just 2.61. 

The White Uniform Night: On August 23rd, as the Mets donned silly looking, all white uniforms, deGrom struck out 13 batters. It was the eighth time on the season he reached double figures in K's. 

Second HR Of the Season: In the top of the 6th inning, he tied the game hitting his second HR of the season. It came off the Braves Mike Foltynewicz & was his 6th RBI of the season. He was one of four NL pitchers to have multiple HRs that season, including teammate Noah Syndergaard.

The game stayed tied & went to extra innings, where the Mets suffered a heart breaking 2-1 loss in the 14th inning which started a five-game losing streak.

In his next two outings, deGrom was roughed up for four earned runs both times, the first resulted in a loss to the Cubs at Citi Field where gave up two HRs to Victor Caratini. It was the fourth time on the year he surrendered two or more HRs in a game. On September 3rd, he took a no decision in n 11-10 Mets loss to the Nationals in D.C.

As September began, the Mets were still in the pennant race & deGrom would win three straight decisions. The ace of the staff stepped up once again, stopping a two-game losing streak & getting his team on another win streak. 

On September 9th, he had his ninth double digit strike out game of the year. deGrom allowed one run on three hits, in a 3-1 Mets win over the Diamondbacks. It was the opening win of a big series sweep for the Mets as they advanced in the wild card race. 

In that game he began a streak of 24 consecutive scoreless innings, as he would not allow another run for the rest of the season. In his last five games he would walk just two batters as well.

On September 14th in Los Angeles he pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out eight Dodgers but got a no decision. The Mets were shut out by Hyun Jin Ryu 97 innings) & three relievers.

Tenth Victory: On September 20th, he won his tenth game of the year, earning double figures in wins for the furth time & in his third straight season.

deGrom shut out the Reds for seven innings in Cincinnati, striking out nine & walking no one for the second straight game. He extended his scoreless innings streak to 17 innings.

Mets Playoff Hopes End: The Mets were hanging by a thread in the wild card race, 3.5 games out of the second wild card spot with nine games left to play. They went 6-3 in their final nine games, missing out in the final days. They would end the year at 86-76 their best record since the 2016 Wild Card season.

On September 25th, deGrom shut out the Marlins for seven innings, giving him a 23 game scoreless innings streak to end the season. He allowed just two hits while striking out seven, walking one in a 10-3 Mets win.

 deGrom finished the year with his 11th victory & the NL strike out crown.

Second Straight Cy Young Award: For his 2019 season, deGrom won his second straight Cy Young Award. he became the first Mets pitcher to win the Award in back-to-back seasons & the only other Met besides Tom Seaver to win it twice.

deGrom is the 11th MLB pitcher to win the Award in back-to-back seasons & the 19th pitcher to earn multiple-Cy Young Awards. He also came in tenth in the MVP voting.

He led the NL in strike outs posting 255 K's. It marked the third straight season he went over the 200 strike out mark. He also became the third Met to have three 250 or more strike outs in a season. His 255 strike outs were the sixth most in a season in franchise history.

deGrom went 11-8 posting a 2.43 ERA, second-best ERA in the NL. deGrom walked 44 batters in 204 innings pitched in 32 starts (8th most in the NL). 

His WAR for pitchers was first in the league (7.3) his HRs per 9 innings was third best in the NL (0.776) & his strike out/base on balls was fourth best in the NL (5.796).

At the plate he batted .200 going 13-65 with a career high two HRs. He also collected two doubles with four runs scored & four RBIs. 

In the COVID 19 shortened 2020 season, he went 4-2 with a 2.38, leading the league in strike outs for the second straight year with 104. He almost won a third Cy Young Award as wel.

2021- "the deGrominator": Jacob deGrom got the 2021 Opening Day start at Philadelphia. In 6.3 innings of work, he
struck out seven & gave up three hits. He earned no decision in the 5-3 Mets loss. At bat he had a multi-hit game collecting two singles with an RBI.

14 Strike Out Game: On Saturday April 10th, deGrom matched his career high with another 14 strike outs. He allowed just one run over eight innings of work but took a loss, as the Mets were shut out by the Marlins Trevor Rogers (six innings) & Dylan Floro, Richard Bleier & Yimi Garcia.

Another 14 K Game with Nine Consecutive Ks:  On April 17th, deGrom started this game in Colorado, with a 0.64 ERA, still looking for his first win. In the 2nd inning, after a leadoff double & a walk, deGrom struck out the next three batters. 

Over the next two innings he struck out the side each time for a career best nine straight strike outs, one short of the all-time record.

deGrom struck out 14 batters for the second straight game, pitching six innings while earning the 4-3 win, his first of the season. Although the Rockies did get three runs, none of them were earned, as a 5th inning Francisco Lindor error led to the scoring. At bat he was 1-2 extending his hit streak to three games.

Two Hit Shut Out & Career High 15 K Game: On Friday April 23rd, at Citi Field deGrom tossed a complete game two hit shutout over the Nationals. He also set a new career high with 15 strike outs. He also had struck out 14 or more batters in three consecutive games.

At the plate he collected two hits, including an RBI double to help his own cause. deGrom hit safely in his first four games of the season, with six hits & was now batting .545. 

The win put the Mets in sole possession of first place, ahead of the Phillies. 

On April 28th, in a 6:40 PM start at Citi Field, deGrom took a heart breaking 1-0 loss to Nick Pivetta & the Boston Red Sox. Doubles by Xander Bogaerts & Christian Vazquez brought in the only run. Pivetta (5 innings) Garrett Whitlock (2 innings) Adam Ottavino & Matt Barnes (1 inning each) combined to shut out the Mets. 

Pitcher of the Month Award: deGrom ended the month of April with a league leading 0.51 ERA. He was 2-2 with 59 strike outs & two walks in 35 innings pitched. He won the April Pitcher of the Month Award.

On Sunday May 9th, deGrom beat the D-backs at Cit Field, allowing just one run, striking out six & earning his third victory. He exited the game in the 5th inning, after feeling tightness in his right side. As the Mets & their fans held their breathe, he was sent for an MRI the next day. Thankfully, it showed nothing. 

Quotes- Jacob deGrom: "I want to be out there every fifth day. That helped make the decision easier because I didn't want it to result into turning into something more serious. Talking with trainers & Dr. Altchek this was the right call, because if you continue to go out there & that's aggravated & you do change your mechanics, then you could be looking at some serious time, not being able to repeat your delivery & being off".

DL & Rehab Start: The Mets shut him down for a bit, ten days later he made a rehab appearance at West Palm Beach, in an A-ball game for the St. Lucie Mets. In that game he dominated his opponents, striking out eight in three innings pitched, not allowing a ball to leave the infield. Afterwards he treated his entire team to a Chic- Filet dinner.

After two weeks, he returned to the much-needed Mets rotation. The Mets were now clinging to a 1.5 games lead in first place.

On Tuesday May 25th, he made his first start in over two weeks as the Mets hosted the Rockies at Citi Field. deGrom pitched five innings, allowing just one run on three hits while fanning nine Rockies in a 3-1 Mets win. His personal catcher, Tomas Nido's two run HR led the offense.

On May 31st, deGrom took the hill in Arizona & went into the 5th inning with a no hitter. With one out Carson Kelly then singled centerfield ending the no hit bid. deGrom was masterful, as he pitched six innings of shutout ball, striking out eight while walking no one & giving up just two hits. 

Hitting Star: In the 4th inning, Arizona chose to walk Mason Williams intentionally to load the bases & get to deGrom. But Jacob singled to right field, giving himself a 3-0 lead while driving in his third run of the year. It was the third straight game where he collected a hit, as he had hit safely in seven of his first eight games.

Entering June, deGrom was batting .450, while opponents were hitting just .129 off him.

That night Pete Alonso returned after two weeks on the IL & drove in four runs, including a 442-foot mammoth HR. 

The Mets went on to the 6-2 win as deGrom went to 4-2 with 82 strike outs in 51 innings pitched. His world leading ERA was now a microscopic 0.71.

Trivia: deGrom's0.71 ERA was the lowest of any qualified starter since 1964, when the Phillies, Chris Short had a 0.64 ERA entering June.

At this point Jacob deGrom was being called the best pitcher in baseball by many sources.

50th Career Double Digit Strike Ot Game: On June 5th at Petco Park, deGrom continued his domination, stopping the first place Mets two game losing streak with a 4-0 win, to keep them 3.5 games in front.

deGrom struck out eleven Padres, marking the 50th time in his career he had struck out ten or more batters in a game. It was the fourth time he reached double digits in K's that season.

Overall, in seven innings, he allowed no runs on three hits, one walk & the 11 Ks. deGrom lowered his ERA to an MLB best 0.62, which was now the lowest ERA for a starter through nine starts since ERA became a stat in 1912.

Trivia: Jacob deGrom moved into fourth place on the Mets all time strike out list behind Tom Seaver, Dwight Gooden & Jerry Koosman.

On June 11th, Citi Field expanded its seating, as a crowd of 26,637 came out to see the history making deGrom. The first place New York Mets (32-24) hosted the Padres with chants of "MVP, MVP" from the crowd. 

In another deGrominating performance, he shut out the Padres on one hit, with ten Ks in six innings of work. He struck out Padre All-star, Fernando Tatis Jr. twice. 

He left the game with elbow discomfort, but an MRI showed no signs of injury & he played catch the next day without feeling any pain.

At the Plate: Also in this game, he added a two-run single, which led the Mets to the 3-2 win. deGrom was now batting .400 with 5 RBIs.

Trivia: He bested his record to 6-2, with an incredible 0.56 ERA, the best in ten starts by any pitcher since the statistic was first kept tracked of in 1913. His WHIP was also a historical best.

He had the league's best strike out per nine innings ratio, the lowest hits per nine innings rate & best walks per nine innings ratios in the league. 

His 103 Ks were third best in the NL. After this game he became the favorite to win the NL MVP Award.

On Tuesday June 16th, a crowd of 23,545 with centerfieldmaz & Don Joe Vella in attendance, came out to see deGrom & the first place Mets (36-25) eleven games over .500 host the NL Central leading Chicago Cubs. The Mets had taken the first two games of the series. 

deGrom started out in amazing fashion, once again. 

In the top of the 1st inning, he struck out the leadoff batter Joc Pederson. After a fly ball out to right field, he then struck out seven batters in a row, Javier Baez to end the first then struck out the side in each of the next two innings.

In the bottom of the 2nd inning, with two on & two outs, the Mets fans stood shouting MVP-MVP as Jacob deGrom came to the plate. Citi Field got what they wanted, as the amazing deGrom ripped a single to right field, scoring the Mets second run. The crowd went crazy, as they chanted louder: MVP-MVP-MVP. 

It was his eleventh hit in 26 at bats, good enough for an incredible .423 batting average. It was the sixth run he had driven in on the season. On the mound he only allowed four earned runs all year. Absolutely incredible.

In the bottom of the 3rd inning after striking out the side, I received a text from my brother reading "deGrom is coming out of the game". Sure enough as the 4th inning began, Sean Reid-Foley entered the game to pitch. 

The word was deGrom left the game with a sore right shoulder. The Mets went on to a 6-3 win, but the deGrom injury loomed over the win. deGrom had lowered his ERA to 0.54, was 7-2 & now had 111 strike outs on the year.

Quotes- Jacob deGrom: "I don't even know what to say, I'm pretty aggravated with it". 

The next day an MRI showed nothing concerning, in the words of Mets manager Luis Rojas: "a normal shoulder from a pitcher".

The Mets did not see a need to shut him down or put him on the IL. He even was able to play a light game of catch the next day.

On July 26th, in an afternoon game at Philadelphia, Jacob gave up two runs, on four hits in six innings of work, while striking out five.

On July 1st in Atlanta, the Mets still had a two-game lead in first place. In the 1st inning, deGrom gave up three hits including a two run HR to Austin Riley. 

deGrom would strike out 14 batters for the third time on the year, for his sixth double digit K game.

Dom Smith would hit two HRs in the game but Freddie Freeman collected the walk off RBI single off Seth Lugo for a Mets loss & deGrom getting no decision.

 On July 7th at Citi Field, he made what turned out to be his last start of 2021. He got no decision in a 4-3 win over the Brewers. 

1500th Career Strike Out: deGrom gave up two runs on four hits, striking out ten reaching double figures in strike outs for the second straight game. In that game he reached a career 1500 strike outs.

2021 All Star: deGrom was named to his fourth NL All-Star team but announced he would not participate.

Season Ending Injury: On July 18th in a bullpen session, he felt tightness in his forearm. He was placed on the ten-day IL. Later in the month he felt soreness in his elbow.

An MRI revealed inflammation in the elbow with now structural damage. He was placed on the 60-day IL &did not pitch again the rest of the year.

Historic First Half of Season: He ended 2021 with one the best first half of the season performances in MLB history. 

Trivia: His 1.08 ERA was the second best in a first half of a season only behind Bob Gibson's 1.06 (1968). 

deGrom was 7-2 with 146 strike outs & 11 walks in 92 innings of work in 15 starts. At the plate he batted .364 (13-65) with a double & career high six RBIs.

 

2022 Mets Wild Card Season: In the off-season the Mets signed veteran pitcher Max
Scherzer. All the hype of deGrom & Scherzer in the same rotation being one of the best 1-2 combos in history didn't quite pan out. Due to injuries, the two wouldn't start games in the same rotation together until August. 

deGrom did not make his first start of the season until August 2nd. By that time the Mets were having a great season & were in first place with a 2.5 game lead. The pitching staff now being led by Scherzer; strangely deGrom wasn't as missed as he would usually have been but his return was like getting a late season All Star Aquisition.

 In a highly anticipated season debut, he went five innings in Washington D.C. allowing a run on three hits, while striking out six & walking no one.

On August 7th, deGrom made his Citi Field debut for the 2022 season, in a game against the rival Atlanta Braves. deGrom struck out 12 batters, giving up two runs on just one a hit, a HR to Dansby Swanson. He earned his first victory of the 2022 season & the first win in over a year.

Second Straight Double Digit K Game: On August 13th, he beat another NL East rival, shutting out the Phillies at Citi Field. deGrom struck out ten batters to reach double figures in K's in two straight starts. It was his 55th career double digit strike out game. deGrom was 2-0 with a 1.62 ERA.

On August 18th, deGrom took his first loss coming to the Braves as the Mets dropped two of three in Atlanta. He gave up three runs on three hits in 6.2 innings of & struck out nine. But Max Fried & the Braves bullpen held the Mets to two runs in the 3-2 loss. The Mets were still atop the Braves in the East by 3.5 games.

On August 25th, deGrom earned a win in Colorado beating Ryan Feltner 3-1. He fanned nine for the second straight game, giving up one run on three hits, walking just one  over six innings.

On August 31st, he & the Dodgers Tyler Anderson had a pitcher's duel going for seven innings at Citi Field. deGrom gave up a solo HR to Mookie Betts but Starling Marte hit a two-run shot giving the Mets the 2-1 win. deGrom allowed just three hits, struck out nine batters for the third straight game, he walked no one.

On September 2nd, deGrom shut out the Pirates on three hits over seven innings in a 10-0 Mets
win. No one knew it at the time, but it was to be his last career regular season win in a Mets uniform. 

deGrom didn't win another game the entire month, allowing three runs or more in each of his next four starts, seeing his ERA go from 1.66 to 3.08, his highest since 2017.

The worst loss came in the opener of a huge series with the Braves in Atlanta where he gave up three HRs taking the loss. That night the Braves moved into first place in a tie with the Mets. The Mets dropped the next two games as well, ruining their season as they finished second after having been in first place since April.

2022 Post Season: In Game #2 of the NL Wild Card series with the San Diego Padres, deGrom

was the winning pitcher. He allowed two runs on five hits while striking out eight & walking two in six innings of work. It was his final win as a New York Met.

The Mets lost the series two games to one, ending their once promising season.

In the off-season deGrom chose free agency & signed with the Texas Rangers. He was the last of the starters to go from the 2015 Pennant winners. It was the end of an era.

Mets Career: In his Mets career deGrom was 82-57. His 82 wins are tied for seventh on the Mets all-time list with Jon Matlack. deGrom had 1607 strike outs (Fourth on Mets all-time list) with 303 walks in 1326 innings pitched (8th on Mets all-time list) in 209 games started (27th most n Mets history).

Mets Post Season: In the Mets post season he is tied with Jerry Koosman for most post season wins with four. He is 4-1 with a 2.90 ERA (6th best). He struck out 37 batters (4th most) & walked 10 in 31 innings over five starts in two post seasons.

deGrom the Hitter: deGrom batted .204 with 78 hits, nine doubles, three HRs & 29 RBIs in 383 Met at bats in 186 games.

Family: Jacob married Stacey (Harris) in 2014, together they have two children, a son & daughter.