Since returning from injury, New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom has had tremendous success on the mound.
Last night, deGrom made his eighth appearance of the season and earned a victory against the Dodgers. Los Angeles has the best record in baseball this season, but deGrom still managed to shut down the opposing bats.
After the game, Dodgers star outfielder Mookie Betts was asked about what it was like as a batter to face someone as dominant as deGrom. Betts, who leads the NL in runs scored so far this season, gave the highest praise that you can possibly give another player.
"He's pretty much the best, maybe the best to ever pitch."
– Mookie Betts on Jacob deGrom pic.twitter.com/BRXpz4geZS
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) September 1, 2022
Betts said that he didn’t even know how to answer that question because it is such a tough task. He admitted that deGrom is one of the best pitchers to ever play.
Some of the stats tell us that Betts may have a point, too. He has allowed one or fewer runs in 100 of his first 204 career stats, which ranks as the best mark in MLB history.
He has allowed the lowest WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) in MLB history since Addie Joss, who last pitched in 1910 and died in 1911.
Lowest WHIP in MLB history (1000 IP min)
0.9678 Addie Joss
0.9985 Jacob deGrom
0.9996 Ed Walsh
1.0003 Mariano Rivera
1.0035 Clayton Kershaw— Michael Mayer (@michaelmayer22) September 1, 2022
He was also asked if there is any pitch in particular deGrom throws that is the hardest for him to hit, and he said they’re all challenging.
Based on this season, deGrom’s average slider velocity (93 mph) is the fastest in the MLB while his fastball velocity (99.3 mph) is near the top as well. He is averaging career-high speeds with his fastball, slider, and changeup.
He has also forced batters to miss on 43 percent of swings, which is third-best in the league. Even though it is incredibly challenging to hit deGrom, however, Betts did manage to launch a home run against him in the sixth inning on Wednesday:
Mookie Betts ties his career-high with his 32nd home run of the season… against Jacob deGrom! pic.twitter.com/KgaUcNlzvJ
— Blake Harris (@BlakeHarrisTBLA) September 1, 2022
It was just the second time Betts had gotten a hit off deGrom in his career.
However, based on the way that both the Mets and the Dodgers are playing this season, these two teams could easily face each other once again in the postseason.
