This time, Jacob deGrom was merely excellent, and that wasn’t enough for the Mets.
Coming off statistically the finest start of his career, deGrom on Wednesday held the Red Sox to one run in six innings with nine strikeouts. But the Mets could not score, sticking deGrom with a tough-luck 1-0 loss. It marked the 24th time in deGrom’s career that he allowed one or fewer runs and the Mets lost in spite of it.
deGrom has allowed two earned runs this season, and has two losses.
The two-time Cy Young Award winner allowed some uncharacteristic hard contact in the second inning on doubles to Xander Bogaerts and Christian Vázquez. The latter hit plated Boston’s only run off deGrom, which proved to be enough. Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta combined with three relievers on a two-hitter, allowing just two runners into scoring position all night.
In the loss, deGrom’s ERA rose to 0.51, the lowest by any Mets pitcher in his first five starts of a season. He struck out nine, giving him 59 on the season, which matched Nolan Ryan’s mark from 1978 for the most by a pitcher in his first five outings.
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Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].