deGrom, who pitched parts of nine seasons for New York, will make his return to Citi Field on Friday night as both the Mets and the Texas Rangers battle for the playoffs.
New York Mets past will meet New York Mets future on Friday night at Citi Field as 37-year-old Jacob deGrom pitches for the Texas Rangers against 22-year-old Jonah Tong.
The Rangers enter the game at 1.5 games back in the American League West - and the same distance back in the battle for the third wild card spot. The Mets enter as losers of six straight and just 1.5 games up in the race for the third wild card spot themselves.
It's essentially a must-win game for both teams, with one looking to hold a playoff spot and the other looking to gain a playoff spot. The moments will be big, and they will be tense, and very highly paid players will need to meet them. And the fans in attendance? They need to meet their moment too, giving deGrom the righteous ovation he deserves.
While of course the Flushing faithful will want to beat their old hero, he still deserves adulation for the nine years he spent in Queens. It will be his first time back since leaving for free agency ahead of the 2023 season.
Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob deGrom (48) throws a pitch against the Houston Astros during the third inning at Globe Life Field. Tim Heitman-Imagn ImagesdeGrom's road
Though he was overshadowed initially by the hype for Matt Harvey, Noah Sydnergaard and Zack Wheeler, deGrom blossomed into one of the best pitchers in baseball, becoming appointment viewing for Mets fans everywhere.
A former shortstop who was taken in the ninth round of the 2010 draft out of little-known Stetson University, deGrom gave those nine years to New York, amassing an 82-57 record and a microscopic 2.52 ERA in 209 games. He helped them get to the World Series in 2015, pushing the Kansas City Royals to the brink, and he made four All-Star Games in that uniform.
A dominant stretch
From 2018-2021, deGrom put together a stretch that is hard to rival on the mound, especially in the current era of information and pitch counts. Though he was constantly given little to no run support, deGrom won 32 games in those four seasons, amassing 23.7 in WAR (Baseball Reference). In 91 starts, he had a 1.94 ERA, striking out 774 batters in just 581.0 innings.
He led the National League in strikeouts in 2019 and the COVID-shortened 2020 season. He pitched to an ERA of 1.70 in 2018, 2.43 in 2019, 2.38 in 2020 and 1.08 in 15 starts in 2021.
He won the Cy Young in both 2018 and 2019. He won the Rookie of the Year in 2014.
New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (48) throws a pitch in the first inning during game two of the Wild Card series against the San Diego Padres for the 2022 MLB Playoffs at Citi Field. Brad Penner-Imagn ImagesThe future
Ranked as the No. 43 prospect in baseball, by MLB Pipeline, Tong has made two starts since his promotion, going 1-1 with a 4.09 ERA. Also a good strikeout artist, he's fanned 12 in 11.0 innings.
In the minors? He went 10-5 this season with a 1.43 ERA.
While him, Noah McLean and Brandon Sproat represent a positive and exciting future for the rotation in Queens, almost nothing can top the times when deGrom took the mound every fifth day.
On Friday night, the fans need to remind deGrom of that.
deGrom's season
Now healthy, deGrom is 11-7 with a 2.78 ERA in 27 starts. He's struck out 169 batters in 155.2 innings. He made the All-Star Game this year as well.