On Tuesday night, New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom took the mound for his first start of the season against the Philadelphia Phillies. Unfortunately, deGrom struggled in his first outing, giving up five runs on seven hits in just four innings of work.
The outing was a far cry from the dominance that deGrom has become known for in recent years. The two-time Cy Young Award winner had a career-best 1.70 ERA last season, and he was expected to be the anchor of the Mets’ rotation once again this year.
DeGrom’s struggles against the Phillies were largely due to his inability to locate his pitches. He threw just 48 of his 79 pitches for strikes, and he was unable to keep the Phillies off balance with his off-speed pitches. He also gave up two home runs, which is uncharacteristic for the normally stingy deGrom.
The Mets were able to rally late and win the game 8-6, but deGrom was not around to see it. He was pulled after four innings, and the Mets bullpen was able to hold off the Phillies and preserve the victory.
It’s too early to tell if deGrom’s struggles are a sign of things to come, or if it was just a one-off bad outing. The Mets will need him to be at his best if they want to compete for a playoff spot this season, so they will be hoping that deGrom can quickly rebound from this outing and get back to his usual dominant self.
