It happened to Jacob deGrom again.
In a scene that’s all too familiar to New York Mets fans, deGrom was removed from Friday night’s game against the Yankees, as the Texas Rangers ace nurses another apparent injury. The two-time Cy Young Award winner was no-hitting the Yankees for three innings and after a one-out walk, he allowed his first hit.
That’s when the Rangers training staff and pitching coach Mike Maddux met deGrom at the mound. And he was subsequently taken out of Friday night’s contest after throwing 50 pitches across 3 2/3 innings. This is the second time in 11 days that deGrom has prematurely exited a quality start. He was removed from a start on April 17 after he had thrown 48 pitches in four innings due to what Texas later described as “right wrist soreness.”
Jacob deGrom has left tonight's game in the top of the 4th inning with apparent injury. #YANKSonYES pic.twitter.com/Gxkjj6Mkqs
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) April 29, 2023
As Codify Baseball pointed out on Twitter, deGrom has now had FIVE games in his career where he’s allowed no runs but only lasted between three and four innings. There’s not a single pitcher in the history of Major League Baseball that has more than one of these games.
Jacob deGrom has now had FIVE games in his career where he's allowed no runs but only lasted between 3 and 4 innings.
There's no one with more of these games in all of MLB history.pic.twitter.com/Eu7PvBUf8W
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) April 29, 2023
The MLB world reacted to the latest concerning Jacob deGrom’s update on social media:
DeGrom's second-to-last pitch was an outside 96.6 MPH fastball — his slowest of the night, and about two MPH off his average tonight — for what it's worth.
His final pitch — a 89.4 MPH slider — was also his slowest slider of the night, a little under 3 MPH off average. https://t.co/mNAF0wtzV6
— Shawn McFarland (@McFarland_Shawn) April 29, 2023
Man this is just devastating to see. When he’s healthy there’s nobody that can touch him. I just wish we get to see a healthy Jacob deGrom pitch at the top of his game again pic.twitter.com/5jTYxvr6tq
— MetsFanMania (@MetsFanMania) April 29, 2023
This deGrom stuff is painful to watch. He’s unhittable but can’t stay on the mound. Arrrrgh.
— Gene Killian (@genethelawyer) April 29, 2023
Contrary to some tweets, he was not crying, he usually shows no emotion at all. He looks terribly dejected and frustrated that his body continues to betray him. I hope he is being cautious, Baseball is better when deGrom is de🐐 pic.twitter.com/ttVkM3Vz7Y
— mike (@SENGADREAMCAST) April 29, 2023
This is why Cohen didn’t offer deGrom the type of contract the Rangers did.
The reason why no team offered him the type of contract the Rangers did.
A deGrom injury has become a ‘when not if’ scenario.
— Lauren (@CalmYourMitts) April 29, 2023
There needs to be a biography on Jacob deGrom when his career ends.
He just left in the fourth inning against the Yankees. Poor guy can’t stay healthy.
— Chris Bello (@Chris_Bello_SJU) April 29, 2023
When healthy, deGrom is unquestionably one of the game’s best pitchers, but over his last two seasons with the New York Mets, there have been significant durability concerns. He made just a combined 26 starts in 2021 and 2022. It would be wrong to speculate about deGrom’s injury, but it’s certainly a concerning development for the star pitcher, who signed a five-year deal worth $185 million with Texas this offseason.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.