NEW YORK – Jacob deGrom matched his best number of strikeouts in his career with 14 in eight innings but, as is often the case with the two-time Cy Young award winner, he got no offensive support while the The Miami Marlins whitewashed the New York Mets 3-0 on Saturday.
DeGrom (0-1) looked unbeatable early on, until Jazz ChisholmJr linked a straight shot at 100.4 mph 0-2 above the strike zone in the second inning. The left-handed batter’s hit reached the second floor of the right field and was estimated at 402 feet.
It was the first home run 0-2 that deGrom has allowed the greats.
That was all Miami could do against deGrom. The right-hander hit 14 strikeouts for the fourth time in his career, including three against the Marlins. He allowed one run, five hits, walked no one and made 76 of his 95 shots on strike.
Left-hander Trevor Rogers of the Marlins didn’t make it easy for the Mets, boasting 10 in six innings to beat deGrom for the second time in nine Major League openers. The 23-year-old secured his first Major League victory over deGrom in a 5-3 victory on 31 August.
Rogers, a 2017 first-round draft pick, had no major problems against New York by allowing three hits and awarding two bases per ball, retiring 11 straight in a stretch of the game.
Rogers mixed a straight that averaged 95 mph with a slider and a change, inducing 19 gusts and failures between his 82 throws. He finished his outing with strikeouts to Michael Conforto and Pete Alonso, leaving two runners waiting for tow to preserve a 1-0 lead.
Dylan Floro followed with a perfect seventh inning, Richard Bleier was helped by the torpedo catcher of torpedo Miguel Rojas to steal an unstoppable from emerging hitter Kevin Pillar in the eighth inning, which closed out perfect, and Yimi Garcia completed the game where they allowed just three hits, saving work on his locker Anthony Bass.
Meanwhile, New York lockout Edwin Diaz relieved deGrom and had problems. Starling Mart connected on a double by opening the scoring and scored with a single on the next turn to bat Jesus Aguilar. Rojas added a simple tug before Diaz was pulled and screamed from the mound.
Mets fans also mocked Conforto, who struck out three times to spread a bad streak and start what could be his final season in New York. The right gardener will become a free agent in the fall.
DEGROMINANT
DeGrom, 32, looks better than ever in his eighth Major League season. Not only is he averaging 99 mph with his straight, compared to 94 mph when he debuted in 2014, he’s also throwing it with more “elevation”. The pitch is dropping an inch less on average than in 2020, making the hitters see it moving up in the strike zone as it approaches.
DeGrom struck out at least 10 batters for the 47th time, passing Dwight Gooden for the second-highest amount in Mets history, just behind Tom Seaver’s 60s.
The New York Openers have had four quality openings in the team’s first five games, but have a 2-3 record in the season.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.