Jacob DeGrom Battles in Win Over Marlins

Even Jacob deGrom has off days. But even when they do rear their heads (once a year, like a harvest moon), he’s still generally untouchable. Sunday’s outing versus Miami at Citi Field was no different for the two-time reigning National League Cy Young Award winner.

DeGrom began his afternoon pumping 99-100 MPH four-seamers and 93 MPH sliders past Marlins hitters, working around a well-struck two-out opposite-field single via Corey Dickerson in a scoreless first.

In an uncharacteristic turn, Brian Anderson and Matt Joyce each walked on four pitches to start the second — DeGrom only issued six such bases-on-balls in 2019 and these were just his fourth and fifth free passes issued this season — and Eddy Alvarez smoked a ball that J.D. Davis smothered at third but was forced to eat, loading the bases with one out for Monte Harrison.

Mets trainers visited deGrom to examine what was apparently a fingernail or blister issue on his pitching hand, but deGrom was no worse for the wear as he remained in the game to strike out Harrison swinging at high cheese and got Jonathan Villar to ground out softly to second, escaping the jam.

After working around a Jesus Aguilar two-out base hit in a 12-pitch third, striking out Anderson on a darting 92 MPH slider to end the frame, deGrom worked around another baserunner (Alvarez reached and stole second) in a scoreless fourth.

Jon Berti singled with one out in the fifth (and stole second) and Aguilar hit a moonshot of a two-run homer to cut the Mets’ lead to 3-2. DeGrom left a first-pitch-four-seamer a little too far over the middle of the plate and Aguilar pounced.

Anderson singled in the next at-bat but deGrom would strike out Joyce — his sixth of the day — to end the inning and his afternoon after five hard-fought innings.

DeGrom induced a total of 16 swings-and-misses (six on his four-seam, seven on his slider, three on the changeup) and a whopping 14 called strikes on 44 four-seamers.

Despite being clearly afflicted by his finger issue, deGrom showed exactly why he is the greatest pitcher on the planet on Sunday. To quote Mickey Callaway, he battled.