NEW YORK — The funny thing about greatness, at least when it comes to starting pitchers, is that it can be defined by the things that don’t happen.
Rather than big, grand spectacles or heroic, one-off displays, a great starting pitcher is more metronomic, repeating the same thing over and over until it becomes wholly expected. Jacob deGrom is that. He is the sun rising in the east and setting in the west. He is the train that always arrives on time. When those things get out of whack, or when deGrom misses over a year with injury, their return to form restores balance.
In the Mets’ 1-0 win over the Phillies on Saturday, that’s exactly what deGrom did. The Mets lost a game on Friday, a rare occasion for this year’s team. No matter, deGrom ensured that everything would be back to normal on Saturday. Of course, normal for him is fastballs in the triple digits and filthy sliders.
