OTD 2014: DeGrom Fans First Eight Marlins To Tie Record

 

Mets’ pitcher Jacob deGrom had quite a rookie season in 2014. He posted a 9-6 record with 2.69 ERA and a 1.140 WHIP. He struck out 144 batters in 140.1 innings pitched. He won the Rookie of the Year award in the National League. And on September 15, he opened a game against the Marlins by striking out the first eight batters.

Strikeouts are not new to deGrom, who despite being on the injured list since early July, is widely recognized as the best pitcher in baseball, seven years after his initial campaign. Let’s set the scene as it unfolded on that night in 2014.

The Mets were 72-78, in fourth place in the National League’s eastern division. The Marlins came to town for the first game of a three-game series on a Monday night. Both teams were playing out the season, so the game seemed nondescript at the late point of the season.

Christian Yelich led off, and deGrom struck him out swinging. The same fate became Donovan Solano and Casey McGehee; they all fell victim to the “forward K.” The Mets scored two runs in their half of the first inning a double by Wilmer Flores. The Mets led 2-0 when the Marlins came to bat in the second inning.

DeGrom, always the perfectionist once again retired all three batters on swinging strikeouts. First, it was Marcell Ozuna, then Justin Bour, and the side was retired when future Met Adeiny Hechavarria waved at the third strike. The Mets did not score in their half of the second inning, and deGrom took the mound to begin the third inning with a chance to break the record of eight consecutive strikeouts to open a game, held by Jim Deshaies of the Houston Astros who achieved the feat in 1986.

In the third, deGrom went the “backward K” route, striking out the first two batters looking. His victims were former Met Jordany Valdespin and Jeff Mathis. The right-hander from DeLand, Florida had tied the record and now had a chance to make history when pitcher Jarred Cosart stepped into the box. Cosart singled to right field, and the strikeout streak was over. DeGrom had to settle for a tie with Deshaies.

The major league record for consecutive strikeouts to start a game now belongs to Pablo Lopez of the Miami Marlins, who struck out nine straight Braves on July 10 of 2021. German Marquez of the Colorado Rockies had tied deGrom and Deshaies with eight in 2018.

In 2021, the Mets have clearly missed their ace, who has not pitched since before the all star break. The hope is that deGrom may pitch before the end of the season, but with time running out quickly, that remains to be seen. For now, we have memories of his electrifying starts this season with his triple-digit fastball, as well as one of his special nights in his rookie season of 2014.