Mets' Jacob deGrom Shuts Down Astros In First Outing Since July 2021

Mets ace Jacob deGrom shut down the Astros in his first outing since his season was cut short in 2021.

Although it was only Grapefruit League action, Jacob deGrom took the mound in a game for the Mets for the first time since his July 7th start against the Brewers last season.

And deGrom, who missed the entire second half in 2021 due to a sprain/low grade partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, looked like his old dominant self on Tuesday night.

The right-handed ace struck out the side on 15 pitches (11 strikes) in the opening inning, making the Houston Astros' first three hitters look overmatched. 

In his second-and-final inning of work, deGrom picked up two more punch outs in another scoreless frame.

DeGrom's final line on the evening was two innings, 30 pitches, one hit and five strikeouts. The only base-runner he allowed was a double to Lewis Brinson in the second. His fastball sat around 97-99 mph, and his slider was sharp at 92 mph. 

Although he faced his teammates in live batting practice last week, this one felt more real for deGrom. 

“I was nervous,” deGrom told reporters after the game. “The first time facing another team. You face your guys, it’s more relaxed, more fun, but you get out there and there’s guys in another uniform, I was a little nervous.”

Initially, the Mets' goal was to have deGrom throw a total of 25-40 pitches. But after he threw his 30th pitch to end the second inning, the team decided that his night was over. 

“I knew I had two innings so I wanted to try to throw everything,” deGrom said. “I wish I had thrown more changeups, honestly. But I was just trying to work on fastball, slider and locate. I wanted to get more changeups in, just didn’t do it. The goal is to throw any pitch at any time. That is what this is for, trying to get our work in and be comfortable throwing a pitch in any situation.”

According to deGrom, he took a different approach during his offseason preparation as he dealt with the uncertainty of the lockout. 

“That’s kind of going back to trying to be smooth, not trying to throw as hard as I can and work down the slope so I am happy with how that went today,” deGrom said. “I am sure there will be times when I throw as hard as I can. When I am really in sync and smooth it feels like it comes out better than when I actually try to throw really hard.”

Tonight was a promising sign for deGrom, who the Mets are heavily relying on to remain healthy this season. DeGrom piggybacked Max Scherzer's first spring start, where his new teammate went five innings, allowing one run on three hits to go along with five strikeouts against the Miami Marlins on Monday. The Mets are hoping that this duo can regularly dominate as the 1-2 punch atop the rotation across a full campaign during the regular season.

“I have enjoyed the time I have been around him and already learning from him, picking his brain,” deGrom said of Scherzer. “He’s been in this game a long time and going to be a Hall of Famer. Any time you can be around guys like that it’s awesome.”