Jacob deGrom threw six scoreless one-hit innings, delivered a two-run single and earned the win but departed with right flexor tendinitis Friday night as the host New York Mets edged the San Diego Padres, 3-2.
The Mets have won four of five. The Padres have lost five of six.
deGrom was serenaded with “M-V-P” chants from a Citi Field crowd of 26,637 — the team’s largest since the pandemic began — as he continued his historic start to the season by striking out 10 and lowering his ERA to 0.56. The ERA is the lowest ever for a pitcher through his first 10 starts.
The right-hander’s seventh strikeout Friday gave him 100 for the season in just 61 2/3 innings, the fastest any pitcher has ever reached 100 strikeouts in a season.
But deGrom (6-2) was at just 80 pitches when he headed into the tunnel after a consultation with Mets trainers as the team batted in the bottom of the sixth. Miguel Castro relieved him to start the seventh.
The Mets announced the reason for deGrom’s exit in the top of the eighth. The two-time National League Cy Young Award winner had a start pushed back in May due to right side tightness before he spent 15 days on the injured list for the ailment later in the month.
deGrom retired the first 13 batters on 57 pitches before Wil Myers singled through the shift-vacated second base area. Fellow former Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell matched deGrom’s zeroes until the fifth, when Kevin Pillar and Billy McKinney doubled on back-to-back pitches to give the Mets a 1-0 lead.
Snell then walked Jose Peraza and balked before deGrom laced an opposite-field, two-run single. The run-scoring hit gave deGrom more RBIs (five) than earned runs allowed (four).
The Padres mounted a comeback against Castro, who gave up a one-out double to Fernando Tatis Jr. before Jake Cronenworth hit a two-run homer. Castro walked Manny Machado before Seth Lugo retired both batters he faced.
Aaron Loup allowed a single and got two outs before departing when he took a comebacker off his chest. Edwin Diaz allowed a two-out single in the ninth to Machado before locking down the four-out save, his 11th of the season.
Snell (2-3) allowed three runs on five hits and three walks while striking out four over four innings.
–Field Level Media