‘Nervous’ Jacob deGrom dominates for NY Mets during first start in injury cut season

‘Nervous’ Jacob deGrom dominates for NY Mets during first start in injury cut season

Jacob deGrom

New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom had some butterflies during his Grapefruit League debut in his first start since last summer. But his performance was top-notch as the Florida native pitcher unleashed a barrage of fastballs and sliders against the Astros in an exhibition game.

“I was nervous, to be honest with you,” deGrom said after firing two innings of the one-hit ball Tuesday night in New York’s 2-0 victory over the Houston Astros.

Jacob’s return to game action on Tuesday couldn’t have emitted too many more positive vibes for the Mets as the stud right-hander was simply himself again. He hit over two scoreless innings (30 pitches) and struck out five while his fastball peaked at 99 mph.

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“First time facing another team — you know, [when] you face your guys it’s more relaxed, more fun — but you get out there with guys in another uniform, I was a little nervous.”

“Mainly worked on being really smooth down the mound”

Jacob deGrom
Jacob deGrom

The two-time Cy Young Award winner got off to a sensational start last season, but an elbow injury sidelined him the entire second half. He was going well at 7-2 with a 1.08 ERA over 15 outings before the Mets collapsed without him after leading the NL East for a long stretch.

“The main thing I worked on in the offseason that carried over today was being really smooth down the mound,” deGrom said of his 30-pitch outing, which featured 24 strikes. “Everything felt good. It felt like I was in sync.”

Coming back to the Mets-Astros clash, the 33-year-old deGrom blew away the opponents with three strikeouts in a 15-pitch first inning, fanning two swinging and one looking.

“I was letting it go the other day against our guys,” deGrom said. “It’s reassuring to go out there and feel completely fine.”

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