New York Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom helped lead the team to a World Series appearance and was in the midst of one of the most dominant seasons in franchise — and even MLB — history in 2021.
That’s when injury struck, and the two-time Cy Young winner endured three years of struggles and long stretches lost to injury that eventually contributed to his departure from the team. Now, close to four years after he first went down, deGrom is finally returning to his previous Cy Young form with a new team.
Jacob deGrom Back on Top
Though deGrom had a relatively late entrance to the majors at age 26, he had a torrid start as he won National League Rookie of the Year in 2014 and was a cornerstone of the rotation that led the Mets to the World Series the following year.
He won back-to-back Cy Young awards in 2018 and 2019 and was leading the majors with a 1.08 ERA in 2021 when he was lost to injury. DeGrom only started 11 games for the Mets the following year, and in 2023 moved to the Texas Rangers.
DeGrom, who turns 37 in June, is back to full health after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023. He is 4-1 with a 2.33 ERA so far this season, finding the fastball that made him one of the most dominant pitchers the MLB has seen in decades.
âItâs almost like catching a video game,â Rangers catcher Kyle Higashioka told USA Today. âJust put the glove up there and thatâs where the ball goes and itâs like 100 mph. Heâs incredible.â
New Pitching Strategy Paying Off
DeGrom said he has learned to vary his pitching, throwing a changeup and even a curveball, which was a rarity during his time with the Mets when he relied almost entirely on his fastball and slider.
DeGrom said he needed to learn to dial it back a bit and lessen the strain on his body. During his tenure in Queens, DeGrom was just as aggressive at the plate as he was on the mound. He hit .364 with six RBIs in 2021, his final season as a hitter.
âYou canât live with the what-ifs,â deGrom told USA Today. âI never really thought about it, because every time I took the ball, the goal was to win. I still take it that way. I was younger at that time and felt like I could do it. Now itâs trying to be smart and continue pitching for quite a while.”
DeGrom has found new ways to win. Though he regularly recorded double-digit strikeouts with the Mets, he pitched 5.1 innings against the Toronto Blue Jays on May 26 while allowing only two earned runs — with no strikeouts.
DeGrom added that he learned to handle the mental side of the game, especially dealing with his long absences while he was recovering from injuries.
âThe main thing is the mental thing,” he said. “You want to be out there competing. The goal was to always pitch as much as I could, take the ball as many times as I could. And when you donât, you feel like a real letdown. We love playing this game. And when youâre going to miss that much time, itâs tough.”
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