Philadelphia Phillies: Top 10 shocking 2020 season stats
By Matt Rappa
6. Phillies Solve Jacob deGrom Early On
New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom has been among the best pitchers in Major League Baseball ever since his May 2014 debut. Spanning the past three seasons, specifically, the right-handed pitcher has combined to post a 2.10 ERA and 0.943 WHIP through 76 starts — earning him multiple All-Star nods, Cy Young Awards, and top-10 Most Valuable Player Award finishes.
DeGrom, a former ninth-round draft pick, has had considerable success against the Phillies as well, going 8-1 with a 2.38 ERA and 1.010 WHIP across 17 starts, two in which he threw complete games. His most recent start against the Joe Girardi-led team was one to forget, however.
Coming into a September 16 road start at Citizens Bank Park, deGrom was 4-1 with a 1.67 ERA on the 2020 season through nine starts. He had won each of his last two starts, while combining for 21 strikeouts. Success did not translate over in South Philadelphia, however, as deGrom threw just two innings — allowing four hits, three runs, and one walk, while striking out just one of his 11 batters faced. After, it was revealed that deGrom was dealing with a hamstring spasm. The Mets wound up still winning the game 5-4, sparing him a losing decision.
According to MLB’s Sarah Langs, the start was the first time deGrom did not strike out an opposing batter the first time through the order since April 10, 2017 — also against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
DeGrom’s ERA rose from 1.67 to 2.09 after the rare short-lived outing; the seven-year veteran ended the year with a still-impressive 2.38 ERA.