The last time Jacob deGrom won a game prior to Monday night?
You’d have to go back one calendar month to May 18 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. In that game, he fanned 13 batters and yielded just one run over seven frames.
Realistically, deGrom could have won every game he’s started this year, but he’s had no margin for error. In fact, since April 27, the right-hander has allowed more than one run in a game just once, which came in an eight inning performance against the New York Yankees earlier this month.
Well, Monday was a rarity for deGrom, who actually got some run support to work with in the hitter friendly Coors Field. The Mets offense erupted for 12 runs and the staff ace got his fifth win of the year.
“Any time we win is a weight lifted off,” deGrom said. “We had a bad stretch there. We’ve been able to win three in a row, and want to keep this thing going.”
On the season, deGrom now has a league-leading 1.51 ERA and a 252 ERA+ in 15 starts. Over his last 11, he has an 0.90 ERA with 90 strikeouts and 18 walks in 70.1 innings.
“Arguably, statistically he’s the best pitcher in the National League,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “This guy’s good. This guy has proven over the last two years that he’s in the conversation of one of the best pitchers in baseball.”
The lone blemish for the 30-year-old came in the second inning when Gerardo Parra hit a double to make it a then 2-1 game. In the seventh, Ian Desmond shaved the deficit to 4-2, but the run was unearned because of a fielding error.
Other than that, it was smooth sailing for deGrom, who didn’t even look his complete best but was still downright dominant.
Manager Mickey Callaway compared deGrom’s magnificent run to that of Corey Kluber, who earned the 2017 American League Cy Young after twirling 23 straight starts with a 1.62 ERA to close out the season.
“This is pretty special. You don’t see this often,” Callaway said.
