Don’t look now but Jason Vargas has slowly crept up as one of the more steady pitchers in the New York Mets’ starting rotation in 2019. The southpaw went the distance on Wednesday night in the Metropolitans 7-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants.

Vargas, 36, gave the Mets everything they could have asked for in his thirteenth career complete game. A shutout of the Giants that allowed the bullpen to rest another day on a night where he gave up just five hits while walking one and striking out a season-high eight batters. The complete game was just the second the team has had this season, the first coming from Noah Syndergaard back on May 2.

Jason spoke of what was his greatest night in a Mets uniform after the game.

“Whatever hiccups may have happened for a very short time, I don’t think anybody’s really thinking about those now,” Vargas said.. “I think that whenever people struggle for a certain amount of time, everybody has questions that they ask themselves. I don’t think that necessarily leads to doubt. It’s just something that people do and you have to question yourself in order to get the answers that you might need.” (NY Post)

The shutout was Vargas’ first since June 2, 2017 as a member of the Kansas City Royals against the Cleveland Indians. All eight of his shutouts have come since 2011, only Clayton Kershaw has thrown more in that time period with a total of 14.

Vargas has had success on the mound as of late, allowing just one or no earned runs in six of his last seven starts. Over his last seven start he owns a 1.85 ERA and has allowed just eight runs over the last 39 innings.

In what has been a rough stretch for these Mets, manager Mickey Callaway spoke of the relief Vargas helped to provide the team with in Wednesday’s victory.

“A lot. I can sleep tonight,” Callaway said. “You can’t overlook the fact that we needed this bad. This was something we really needed. He stepped up big time when his team really needed him the most.”

Jason has now pitched consecutive games with at least seven innings for the first time in his Mets career, something he has not done since 2017 as a Royal. He became the first Met to shut out the Giants since Kenny Rogers completed the task back on September 6, 1999.

On top of all of his pitching success, he recorded his first hit of the season with a third-inning single.

Jason Vargas had himself a night.