Mets’ ace and Cy Young hopeful Jacob deGrom started off Monday night’s game in Los Angeles rough, allowing a home run to Justin Turner in the first inning.
However, deGrom, like he has done so many times, buckled down and stymied the Dodgers the rest of the way despite not having his best stuff.
He even made up for the first inning home run by knotting up the game in the fifth inning with an RBI base knock.
DeGrom departed after six innings, and received a no-decision after the Mets failed to score with the bases juiced in the top of the seventh.
It was another frustrating night for the right-hander, who didn’t come away with a win because his team couldn’t support him offensively.
But despite not receiving the win, the Mets were able to end his strong night on a high note.
With two runners on in the ninth inning, Brandon Nimmo came to the dish as a pinch hitter and battled with Dodgers’ pitcher Kenta Maeda into a deep count.
On the seventh pitch, Nimmo golfed Maeda’s slider and parked it over the right field fence.
The happiest player in baseball and his million dollar smile sprinted around the bases and ultimately propelled his team to victory.
Nimmo continues adding on to his career high in home runs (now at 16) and his triple slash now stands at .267/.389/.504 in 116 games (435 plate appearances).
The outfielder has also been good for 3.7 fWAR and has recorded a robust 147 wRC+ and .384 wOBA throughout the season.
In a year where, coming into the season, the organization had him as an afterthought, Nimmo has proved that he is every bit of the first round pick the Mets hoped he’d be.
At just 25-years-old, the sky is the limit for Nimmo, who could be a core player for this team for many years to come.
