None of them can even be considered in the same galaxy as Jacob deGrom’s 2018 season.

This wasn’t just one of those seasons that Mets fans will remember in a few years and look back on fondly like we do with Harvey and Syndergaard. This is one of those seasons that baseball fans everywhere will still be talking about in 25 years. This is peak Doc Gooden territory. Hell, Ron Darling, who pitched in the same rotation as Gooden, said deGrom’s year was the best pitching season he’s ever seen.

There has been a parade of stats thrown around about deGrom’s season and how historic it has been. For me, though, one stat in particular tells the story of Jake’s season quite well. FIP, for what it’s worth, is far from an all-encompassing stat. It is flawed, and is very far from being any sort of end-all be-all indicator of anything. That said, I think it provides a great context for what we just witnessed:

deGrom finished the season with a FIP of 1.98. Since 2000, only two other qualified starting pitchers have finished with a FIP below 2.00, and both of their names are Clayton Kershaw. Only one of Kershaw’s seasons was better than 1.98.

Going back even further to when they lowered the mound in 1969, deGrom’s FIP this season is outdone by only four other pitchers:

1999 Pedro Martinez (1.39)
1984 Dwight Gooden (1.69)
2014 Clayton Kershaw (1.81)
1971 Tom Seaver (1.93)

Yes, he was that good.

As far as league-adjusted FIP goes, well, deGrom’s FIP- going into last night’s game was 50, and it dropped to 49. That means deGrom’s FIP- this season is bested only by guys named Pedro and Randy since 1969.

This was truly one of the best pitching seasons any of us will probably ever see. There may never be another one like it.

And last night, deGrom capped it all off with one of the most poetic, poignant, storybook endings anyone could have hoped for in this lost season. Commanding his mound, deGrom fired eight shutout innings, racking up 10 strikeouts while allowing no walks and two hits in front of a sparse-but-raucous home crowd.

deGrom looked at least quasi-human in the first two innings, allowing leadoff hits in both of them. But after the leadoff single in the second, deGrom grabbed ahold of this game and took ownership of it. He retired the last 20 batters he faced in order. Half of those batters were retired on strikeouts. The only time a runner secured first base against him after the second inning was when Ronald Acuña reached first on a dropped third strike, but was then tagged out after rounding first. That’s it.

As far as deGrom’s run support goes, he predictably didn’t get much, but he got enough this time. The game was scoreless until the sixth inning, when the Mets finally broke through for their “Ace of Aces.” Dom Smith punched an RBI single up the middle to get the Mets on the board. After deGrom had left the game in the eighth, they added some insurance. Michael Conforto hit a solo shot all the way to to Ike Davis territory on the Shea Bridge to make it 2-0, and then Smith added a solo homer of his own to extend the lead to 3-0.

Before deGrom left, though, his final two innings were particularly electrifying, as everyone in the ballpark sensed that he was nearing the completion of his masterpiece campaign. This was possibly the most exciting any Mets game has been all season. The fans in the ballpark grasped the moment, those at home felt it and of course Gary Cohen could sense it as well.  Words can’t really describe how captivating this night became, so I’ll leave it to the video:

1⃣,0⃣0⃣0⃣ career strikeouts for @JdeGrom19. The fastest #Mets pitcher to get there.

News flash: This guy's good. pic.twitter.com/NeeMHtbdOe

— New York Mets (@Mets) September 27, 2018

deGrom struck out 1,000th batter of his career to cap off his legendary season. He walked off the mound to a rousing ovation, smiling and proud, with a palpable sense of accomplishment. He was met in the dugout by a giddy Captain, and the two shared embrace that has already been immortalized and will live forever.

Back in July, I wrote this:

“..whenever deGrom starts next…don’t think about the trade rumors. Don’t think about how bad the team is. If that means you have to stay off social media, then so be it. But just sit down and watch one of the best pitchers in the world on the top of his game, mastering his craft. And just enjoy it. You’ll be so much happier.”

I hope you enjoyed it. And I hope it made you happy.

OTHER NEWS OF THE DAY

David Wright said he’d “love” to be a part of the front office next year.

WHAT’S NEXT

The series finale between the Mets and Braves takes place tonight at 7:10. Jason Vargas does battle against Juilo Teheran.

Photo credit: Brad Penner – USA TODAY Sports

The Mets actually put a run on the board in the top of the first before their ace even took the mound. Amed Rosario led off the ballgame with a double and later scored on Jay Bruce hit, giving the road team the early 1-0 lead. After mowing the Nationals down 1-2-3 with a pair of strikeouts in the first, deGrom did run into a little bit of a speed bump in the second, however.

After uncharacteristically walking Anthony Rendon to begin the frame, deGrom allowed a single to Washington rookie sensation Juan Soto, placing men on the corners with no out. Ryan Zimmerman then lifted a fly ball to center field to score the tying run via a sac fly.

New York responded right away the next inning though, which was really nice to see. With one out, Michael Conforto and Bruce doubled consecutively to reestablish the Mets lead, but they were far from done in the frame. Dom Smith singled home Bruce with a third run, and after Rendon committed an error on a Todd Frazier ground ball, the inning was prolonged for Devin Mesoraco. The Mets catcher, playing in his first game in almost three weeks, pounded a double to plate Smith, and while Frazier was waved home, he was gunned down the end the inning, with the Mets up 4-1.

That would prove to be all deGrom would need as he simply took it to another level after that. The right-hander retired 15 of the next 17 Nationals batters, completing his seven-inning outing with eight strikeouts and just three hits allowed. At only 98 pitches, it was somewhat surprising New York didn’t send him back out for the eighth, instead summoning Seth Lugo for a consecutive day. While the righty did allow a pair of Washington baserunners he was ultimately able to navigate through the inning unscathed, and when the Mets failed to add an insurance run in the ninth, it was Robert Gsellman time.

The final inning was a little nerve-wrecking for the visitors dugout, when Trea Turner led off with a double, and Bryce Harper nearly got the home team within one on a long fly ball to the opposite field that ultimately fell a couple feet short of the fence and into the waiting glove of Conforto. The Mets were not out of the woods though, as Rendon came up next and promptly singled into center, scoring Turner and getting the tying run to the plate. Gsellman stepped up though, striking out Soto and getting Zimmerman to fly out to end the game.

The victory evened deGrom’s record on the season at 9-9 and lowered his Major League best ERA to 1.77. If the Cy Young race isn’t over, it honestly probably should be.

Up next New York will send Corey Oswalt to the bump opposite Tanner Roark as they look to take a thirrd consecutive contest from their rivals in the nation’s capital.

The other team. I think their socks are red, or something.

WHAT HAPPENED, SUNDAY-GROM:

Another day, another good start by Jacob deGrom. As the soon-to-be National League Cy Young winner has done all season, deGrom truly put the Mets in the best position to win. Without the third inning, deGrom really doesn’t have any messes to escape from. A walk here, a two-out runner there. Never having to deal with multiple runners on. But, alas, the third inning did happen.
It looked like deGrom had a clear path out of trouble, though. Rafael Devers and Christian Vazquez singled with one out in the third, putting runners at the corners for deGrom. His first baserunners of a game which, to that point, had seen him match Chris Sale punch-for-punch. Even after a Mookie Betts sac fly to center field scored Devers, two outs to the red-hot Brock Holt seemed preferable. Of course, even preferable scenarios can end badly. Jumping on a fastball deGrom left over the heart of the plate, Holt smashed a ball to right-field for a two-run homer. Given just how…let’s say inept…the Mets have been in deGrom-started games this year, that appeared like it could be enough.

Despite this, however, deGrom quickly returned to form. Against a lineup known for its ability to not strike out — specifically against right-handers — deGrom recorded 12 strikeouts across seven innings. And this time, he was even rewarded for keeping the Mets within reach! What a concept! Even if the game was ultimately decided with Seth Lugo on the mound, deGrom held the Red Sox long enough for the Mets to tie things up in the seventh inning.

For those keeping track at home, this was also deGrom’s 10th start in 2018 with double-digit strikeouts. It was also his fifth 12+ strikeout game. Sunday also saw deGrom extend his career-high season-strikeout total to 250, and gives him 982 career strikeouts. Translation? Jacob deGrom, the 2018 National League Cy Young award winner, has been really freaking good.

WHAT HAPPENED, YESTERDAY:

This week doesn’t feature an offense portion because, well, not much happened at the plate. Jay Bruce got caught stealing. Michael Conforto recorded a multi-hit game for the sixth time this month, and has generally been on fire. Given Conforto’s weird overall season, it’s pretty incredible that he’s clawing his way back to the .800 OPS mark. After Sunday, Conforto owns a .776 OPS with two weeks left to play. Largely enough, the same can be said for the other guy who recorded two hits on Sunday — Amed Rosario. It’s probably fair to say he’ll eclipse the .700 OPS mark before the season ends (currently .693) and he has shown flashes of what could (eventually) be a usefully hitter down the stretch.

Even if Sale kicked off a bullpen game for the Red Sox, their bullpen proved insurmountable in the end. The Mets fought hard to tie it up, and Lugo surrendering one extra-base hit proved to be all it took for the Red Sox to put it away. The positive, sort of? This series was the first the Mets have lost all month, as they have played much better down the stretch. Maybe it’s fool’s gold going into 2019. Well, no maybe. It is fool’s gold. But it keeps us going. You can feel free to decide if that’s a good or bad thing.

WHAT HAPPENS, TODAY:

The Mets square off against the Philadelphia Phillies in their penultimate road series of the year. Zack Wheeler will face Jake Arrieta, as the Mets look to end things on a high-note leading up to the final week of the 2018 regular season.

Photo credit: Winslow Townson – USA Today Sports

After being scratched due to weather concerns on Sunday and rained out on Monday, Jacob deGrom finally got to take the mound against the Marlins on Tuesday night. Miami has been something of a bugaboo for deGrom; he’s only 4-5 against them in his career, though he did memorably strike out the first eight batters in September 2014. For once, the Mets actually built a close-to-optimal lineup behind their ace, with Amed Rosario, Jeff McNeil and Michael Conforto in the first three spots in the order.

Arguably, the Mets should have just let deGrom pitch on Sunday, as he’s now set to make only four starts the rest of the way rather than five. On the other hand, I get to recap a game started by deGrom rather than one started by Jason Vargas, so I’m not going to complain.

Game Recap

Rather than dragging this out and waxing poetic about how good deGrom was at the start of this game, let’s just jump straight to the part where the BABIP fairy sprinkled her magic dust on the Marlins, as she always seems to do at Citi Field. With two outs and nobody on in the fourth, deGrom gave up an infield single, a bloop single and a double that scored two. The infield single was off the glove of Jeff McNeil (would have been a tough play) and the double was a total misplay by Austin Jackson (also a tough play, but probably should have been made). As a reminder, the Mets like Jackson, a horrifically bad defensive outfielder, specifically for his center field defense.

Fittingly, a Michael Conforto double leading off the bottom half of the inning was wasted. deGrom went back to dominating and only got a solo home run from Conforto in run support. He left for a pinch hitter in the seventh, when the Mets squandered another leadoff baserunner and left the ace without a chance for a win. He finished with nine strikeouts, two walks and three hits allowed, with both runs coming due to the BABIP misfortune and poor defense behind him in the fourth. The outing raised deGrom’s ERA on the season to a still ridiculous 1.71, and lowered his FIP to an equally insane 2.06.

Anthony Swarzak replaced deGrom and served up a solo home run to J.T. Riddle that stretched the Marlins’ lead to 3-1. Todd Frazier got ejected at some point for arguing balls and strikes (he was right). Robert Gsellman gave up two runs in the ninth, with the help of an ill-advised dive from Brandon Nimmo that turned a single into a triple.

Kevin Plawecki hit a two-run home run in the ninth and a two-out walk to Jack Reinheimer brought Amed Rosario to the plate as the tying run. Rosario could only manage a weak dribbler to second, and that was that. The 5-3 loss was the Mets’ 78th of the year and dropped deGrom’s record below .500, now at 8-9.

Thoughts from the Game

The latest installment of Jacob deGrom facts:

• Lewis Brinson’s double was the first extra-base hit on 0-2 allowed by deGrom this season.
• deGrom has now broken Leslie “King” Cole’s single-season record with his 26th consecutive start allowing three runs or fewer, a record that stood for 108 years.
• Still the most deserving Cy Young candidate in the National League. But you knew that already.

Why the Mets have decided to rush Swarzak back this season is a mystery. This is a reliever who they need to contribute to the bullpen next year if the team wants to contend next season. He’s dealt with shoulder issues multiple times, and pushing a 33-year-old to come back quickly in a lost season rather than just shutting him down and protecting him for the future is silly. It’s also a great juxtaposition against the extreme “caution” the team is taking with David Wright. Nothing fishy there at all, no sir.

Austin Jackson is terrible. He doesn’t make contact — 32.7% K%. He doesn’t hit for power — .078 ISO. He doesn’t walk a noteworthy amount — 7.2%. His defense has been a travesty for three seasons; -12.5, -7.7, and -16.8 UZR/150 in the outfield the past three seasons. He’s not a prolific basestealer or a particularly good baserunner. His presence in the Met lineup hinders the offense, and his defense might’ve cost deGrom two runs and a win last night. Given all of this, get ready for Austin Jackson, 2019 Opening Day center fielder.

Other Mets News

A report by Andy Martino today had some troubling news regarding the Mets’ GM search. First, Terry Collins is expected to assume a larger role in the organization. Terry Collins, who was one of the most inept managers in baseball largely because of his inability or unwillingness to use or develop young players, will likely be playing a larger role in player development. This is the sort of hiring that reeks of interference from Fred Wilpon.

Secondly, Martino mentions Mark Shapiro as a name to watch in the GM search. Shapiro has a long track record, serving as GM and later team president of the Cleveland Indians, and more recently as CEO and president of the Toronto Blue Jays. He’s most notable for his obsession with young cost control, which, in and of itself, is not a bad thing to focus on; young, cheap players provide the core of most winning teams. But Shapiro seems to focus more on being cheap for the sake of being cheap, rather than for the purposes of building winning teams. In short, he offers perfect cover for the Wilpon not spending money.

One start removed from being the only offensive contributor in a game where he pitched eight innings of one-run, 10-strikeout ball, the should-be Cy Young and his orange and blue counterparts were back to their old ways.

deGrom promptly surrendered a solo home run to former Met Justin Turner in the bottom of the first. Of course, though, New York’s ace settled down in typical fashion and proceeded to totally blank hitters the rest of the game with his seemingly unhittable fastball and filthy slider.

This was business as usual for deGrom. The ability to mix in his changeup with his primary pitches along with a uniquely cerebral approach and forward motion to the plate predictably dominated a lost Dodger lineup.

But like I said, this was close to being another unfair joke. deGrom found himself with no run support for the infinity-th game this season and yet again took matters into his own hands with the bat. Alex Wood was on top of Mickey Callaway’s squad, allowing one run over five innings. That one run, however, was thanks to a deGrom single. Deja vu… kind of.

Things were looking unsettling for the Mets as they could not execute on their seventh inning bases-loaded chance. But like so many other times this season, Brandon Nimmo saved the day.

In the ninth, after Jay Bruce doubled to right and Jeff McNeil was hit by pitch from a shaky Kenta Maeda, Nimmo uncorked a pinch-hit three-run homer which would eventually be the obvious difference-maker in another almost Metsy loss.

And MLB record alert: Last night was the 25th consecutive start Jacob deGrom has allowed three runs or fewer.

What is truly incredible about all of this is that deGrom still holds an unfathomable 8-8 record with an MLB-leading 1.68 ERA and eye-popping 0.98 WHIP. His season is the best argument people have against the importance of pitcher wins. What more can a starting pitcher do to help his team secure a victory night in and night out?

—

P.S. I, along with everybody else, would like to see Brandon Nimmo starting every single day.

P.P.S. Why was Jeff McNeil batting eighth? Entering last night’s whirlwind of a game, McNeil was hitting .346 against lefties.

Photo credit: David Mackson – USA Today Sports

Jacob deGrom versus a red-hot, newly-acquired, long-time Met rival Cole Hamels is a pretty juicy matchup. It’s too bad one of these teams is competently run and has maintained its status as a National League powerhouse since ascending in 2015 while the other has crashed and burned in spectacular fashion. So it goes.

Brandon Nimmo is back off the DL and in the lineup. Jeff McNeil is also out there, and Jay Bruce is starting at first.

Game Recap

If you watched the top of the first inning, you got a pretty good idea of what the Mets offense was going to do in this game. Amed Rosario led off with a double and moved to third on a groundout, and an Austin Jackson walk put runners at the corners with one out. The prime scoring chance was squandered, as both Michael Conforto and Todd Frazier struck out swinging to get Cole Hamels out of the first inning unharmed.

It was the first of what seemed like an endless number of missed opportunities for the Mets, who put three more runners on in the third with a single, error and a walk, but a caught stealing and another strikeout by Conforto ended the threat. Two singles, one a hussle infield single from deGrom, along with a walk loaded the bases in the fifth, but Conforto struck out once again. Consistently, Hamels put runners on base for the Mets, and every time they were wasted.

Of course, this is par for the course with deGrom, and the most deserving Cy Young candidate did his part to keep his team in the game. Over the first five innings, deGrom was brilliant, striking out seven and holding a potent Cubs offense off the board. There was a scary moment in the fourth when deGrom seemed to tweak something after slipping while trying to field an infield dribbler off the bat of Javier Baez, but he showed no ill effects, escaping the inning and promptly beating out the aforementioned infield single in his next at bat.

Sick of his teammates failing him, deGrom took offensive matters into his own hands in the top of the sixth. Former National Brandon Kintzler replaced Cole Hamels, and the first two Mets reached on an infield single and a walk. The next two batters couldn’t push a run across, and a walk to Brandon Nimmo loaded the bases for deGrom with two out. deGrom came through, as he always seems to, placing a groundball perfectly on the left side of the infield for his second hit of the day and his fourth RBI of the year, giving the Mets a 1-0 lead.

After navigating an leadoff single in the bottom of the sixth, the Mets had a chance to add some insurance in the seventh after McNeil led off with a triple. Predictably, they failed to do even that, with two hard line outs and a strike out stranding McNeil at third. The Cubs immediately made the Mets pay for their failure, rallying with two singles and a sacrifice fly to tie the game at one in the bottom of the seventh. The run should arguably have been unearned, as Bruce missed a relatively routine play at first base to give the Cubs their second hit of the game, but so it goes for deGrom.

A visibly pissed off deGrom worked around a leadoff single and a walk in the bottom of the eighth, finishing his outing with a strikeout and a double play. The Mets then failed to score for him in the top of the ninth, dooming the best pitcher in baseball to yet another no decision. Some quick stats on deGrom’s season after this latest gem, an eight-inning, 10-strikeout, one-walk, one-run performance:

• 24th consecutive start with three or fewer runs, tying Doc Gooden’s major league record
• 6th start allowing one run or less in which deGrom has received a no decision
• 9th time the Met offense has scored one run or less with deGrom on the mound
• 8th time deGom has gone seven or more innings and allowed one or zero runs but did not earn a win, tying a live-ball era record by Roger Craig on the 1963 Mets

Seth Lugo replaced deGrom and tossed a scoreless ninth, sending the game to extra innings. Mother Earth had other plans, and after Steve Cishek threw two balls to Conforto, the game was suspended. Thirteen hours later, the at-bat resumed, and Conforto worked a leadoff walk. He was erased on a double play when Bruce struck out two batters later, and Nimmo was doubled off on a line drive to waste another potential baserunner in the 11th, continuing the Mets’ absolute refusal to score runs for deGrom, even with the ace out of the game.

Mercifully, the Cubs ended things in the 11th before the Met offense could embarrass themselves any further. Paul Sewald continued to be bad, walking Javier Baez to lead off the inning, then throwing the ball away on a bunt to put runner son second and third with no outs. Kyle Schwarber was intentionally walked, Sewald struck out Albert Almora, and Daniel Zamora entered to face Ben Zobrist. Zamora got the ground ball he needed, but Zobrist placed it perfectly up the middle, and Rosario couldn’t get to it. The Cubs walked off with a 2-1 victory.

Thoughts from the Game

Watching pissed off deGrom’s body language on the mound is always fun, because it’s so clear he’s tired of everyone’s bullshit. At this point, he literally cannot carry this team any more than he already is, and it has to be beyond frustrating to see the team still fail so miserably. More relevantly at this point, if there is any writer or analyst who professes to be a baseball expert and doesn’t vote for deGrom in the Cy Young because of pitcher wins, that should be grounds for immediate firing. He’s the best pitcher in the National League, and it isn’t particularly close.

Other Mets News

There are two infuriating bits of Met news to discuss, so let’s start with the more common one. The Mets say they will not call up Peter Alonso this season, despite him racking up 33 home runs and 111 RBI this season between Double-A and Triple-A. Supposedly, this is because the Mets are still concerned about his defense and limited playing time with Jay Bruce, Wilmer Flores and Dominic Smith on the roster. That’s nonsense, of course — all of those options are somewhere between terrible and mediocre, and none of them are particularly good defenders. This is a very obvious service time manipulation ploy, a ridiculous tactic to claw back the age-31 season of a R/R first baseman in a totally lost season.

At least that’s a wrong the rest of baseball commits as well, however. The other bit of Mets news could originate only from an organization as deeply defined by dysfunction an ineptitude as this one; the Mets want insurance to continue to pay David Wright’s salary. As a refresher, the Mets get 75% of Wright’s salary back in insurance while he’s on the disabled list. Of course, they don’t reinvest this money, counting Wright’s full salary AND the premium on the insurance against club payroll. If Wright is activated and later needs to go back on the DL, the team does not receive payments until 60 days after the DL stint begins (likely combined between 2018 and 2019), and they can save roughly $2.4 million of Wright’s $3.2 million due over the rest of the season by keeping him on the disabled list.

This latest news takes things to a whole new level of scummy, deplorable and disgusting, even for the Mets. Wright is the greatest Met position player in history. He stuck with this team through some dark years, toiling away in his prime on teams that couldn’t even crack .500. He’s now spent two years working his hardest to overcome a debilitating, chronic back injury, one that has spawned shoulder and neck problems to boot. And now that he finally, finally has a chance to step onto a major league field for the first time since 2016, the team seems to be angling to classify him as permanently disabled against his wishes.

For full disclosure, I’ve never been as much of a fan of Wright as some others. Jose Reyes was always my favorite player when I was little (which has aged….not well), and I thought he should have been shipped out when the Mets started their rebuild. Nevertheless, Wright was on track for a first-ballot HOF career, and I struggle to find words to describe the depths the Mets have sunk to here. Disrespectful, abjectly cruel and disgraceful come to mind.

Photo credit: Patrick Gorski – USA Today Sports

Despite the fact that both pitchers play for lackluster teams, the prospect of a Madison Bumgarner-Jacob deGrom showdown provided fanbases for both teams the tantalizing prospect of two of the best pitchers in the game going head-to-head. It was a cruel trick of the schedule that wasted this matchup on a weekday afternoon getaway game, crueler still because neither pitcher disappointed: deGrom struck out 10, Bumgarner 8; Bumgarner walked no one in eight innings, allowing only one earned run, and while deGrom walked four, he also surrendered only one earned run in six.

Bumgarner (5-5 on the year) is now 7-0 against the Mets in his career, and holds a 0.59 ERA at Citi Field: a relentless campaign of terror that will make the less-than-Amazins happy to see the back of him. The Giants lefty added insult to injury by hitting an RBI single.

Is it possible to call any start for a pitcher with a Cy Young-worthy season, including a 1.71 ERA, yet a .500 record (he fell to 8-8 on the year), particularly frustrating? If so, this was one was; despite double-digit strikeouts, deGrom surrendered a run on a passed ball in the third, and appeared to escape the fourth inning with a one-run deficit intact striking out Nick Hundley looking before home plate umpire Tony Randazzo granted a walk to the Giants catcher. That set up Bumgarner for the RBI double, leaving deGrom to fume at the home plate umpire. Evan Longoria added to the Giants lead with a solo home run off Tyler Bashlor. Todd Frazier provided the Mets’ only offense, hitting a solo home run in the seventh inning. The home runs were the 14th of the season for each player.

New York will host the recently swamp-drained Washington Nationals at home Friday, and face another pitcher who loves mowing down Mets, Gio Gonzalez (7-10, 4.51), while the Mets will send out Jason Vargas (3-8, 7.67). First pitch is at 7:10 p.m.

Photo credit: Brad Penner – USA Today Sports

It was a Jake vs. Jake battle on the mound, as former Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta made the start for the Phils. Arrieta turned in one of his best starts of the season: six innings, four hits, six strikeouts, no walks and just one run allowed. As his equal on Saturday knows all too well, any beautiful start can be wiped out quickly by your bullpen. Luis Garcia entered in the seventh and allowed a solo homer to Devin Mesoraco and a triple to Jeff McNeil that scored Amed Rosario, putting the Mets ahead 3-0.

The Phillies racked up seven hits against deGrom, but he was his usual freakishly good self with men on base, as he only allowed a single run to score on the afternoon. deGrom struck out nine in nine innings and didn’t walk a single Phillie, an impressive accomplishment considering the Phillies are the owners of one of the most disciplined lineups in the league.

(All credit to Jeffrey Paternostro for this brilliant piece of art)

McNeil continues to mightily impress, as he reached base three times and made an impressive play out at second Saturday. With a strong finish to the season, McNeil should theoretically have the second base job locked up for 2019. He may have to cede way to Andres Gimenez when the time comes, but he should be passable at third, which would give the Mets a dynamic, young infield along with Rosario and Peter Alonso.

It wasn’t just deGrom day in Philadelphia though, as BP writers met up at Citizens Bank Park for one of the final ballpark events of the 2018 season. It was my first time attending a BP ballpark event and I’ll proudly be the first to tell you it’s worth every single penny. Learning from some of the smartest minds the game has to offer is not an everyday occurrence, but four members of the Phillies analytics department – including head of R & D Andy Galdi – were extremely gracious with their time Saturday. They answered all of our questions – which to my surprise were very “shift” heavy – and offered valuable advice for those looking to work in baseball. If you can make it out to Target Field on Aug. 25, do it.

Photo credit: Gregory Fisher – USA Today Sports

Amed Rosario opened the game with his first career lead-off home run, followed by your (hopefully) 2019 starting second baseman Jeff McNeil, who singled home Brandon Nimmo.

deGrom wavered a bit in the third after a McNeil error allowed Giancarlo Stanton to reach base and eventually score on an Aaron Hicks single.

Despite this, deGrom entered into his coveted “get everybody out mode” and proceeded to mow down the Yankee lineup with total ease. He eventually stuck out 12 in 6.2 innings pitched and allowed just seven batters to reach via a hit or walk.

Though he probably should have been dealt at the deadline, Jose Bautista’s home run in the fourth to “deep right” against Sevy allowed the should-be Cy Young to enter in cruise control. Bautista had entered the game two for his last 32.

For the Mets, a win against the Yankees is always welcome – but last night the players played the way we all thought they would back in March. Jerry Blevins did the job against a lefty in Brett Gardner, Todd Frazier crushed a hanging slider from AJ Cole for a crucial round-tripper in the sixth, the young core of Michael Conforto, Nimmo, Rosario and McNeil all showed out – and perhaps most importantly, the run support was there.

Eventually, the score after the final out was 8-5, and incredibly the Mets’ have now scored eight runs in each of deGrom’s last two starts after combining for a total of eights runs in his previous three before that.

It is these types of games that show us the potential of what Sandy Alderson and staff were trying to do. However (and obviously), there is no real consistency. I touched on it last week – and maybe it just happens to be a coincidence when I write these recaps – but these are the types of games that show what could be, but in reality what truly isn’t.

Regardless, a Subway Series victory is certainly a boost of confidence all the way from the front office to the players to the fans watching at home.

Photo credit: Amed Rosario – USA Today Sports

Friday night’s game against Atlanta represented the Mets’ latest chance to play spoiler in a division race that they themselves have long been out of, and despite yet another gem from their ace, New York continued to struggle to score runs for deGrom.

The contest went the way so many of deGrom’s 2018 starts have unfolded. After an uneventful first inning on both sides, deGrom quickly retired the first two Braves in the 2nd before one swing from Johan Camargo sent a bolt through the stadium. The Braves’ third baseman turned on a deGrom offering and deposited it off the facing of the upper deck in right field, giving the road team an early 1-0 advantage.

That score held into the third, where the Mets’ bats were able to answer. Amed Rosario led off the frame with a double down the right field line, and the young shortstop scored the tying run two batters later, when deGrom took matters into his own hands and grounded an RBI single right back up the middle.

Despite walking Freddie Freeman and allowing a single to Nick Markakis to start the fourth, deGrom quickly retired the next three to escape that threat and keep the game tied, but he wasn’t as fortunate an inning later. After striking out the first two in the fifth, Atlanta’s fabulous young duo of Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies both doubled, giving the Braves a lead they would ultimately never relinquish.

New York got runners via walks in both the sixth and seventh innings but neither was parlayed into a serious threat, while on the mound deGrom just kept hurling zeroes, retiring the final 10 Braves he faced following the Albies RBI double. The right hander’s night came to an end after eight, when the Mets pinch hit for him. After Anthony Swarzak hurled a 1-2-3 top of the ninth, New York needed to score in their final at-bat to extend the ballgame.

A.J. Minter entered for the Braves after successfully recording the save in the serious opener on Thursday, and while the Mets were able to generate a two-out runner when Camargo booted a Todd Frazier ground ball, Austin Jackson immediately followed with a game-ending ground ball right at Freeman at first base.

Almost incomprehensibly, while deGrom has now gone at least eight innings in five of his last nine starts, hasn’t allowed more than three runs in a game since his second start of the year, and continues to boast the best ERA in baseball; he hasn’t won since June 18.

The Mets will try to bounce back and deal their division rivals’ playoff aspirations at least a little bit of a blow behind Zack Wheeler tonight, making his first start since not being traded at the deadline.

Photo credit: Adam Hunger – USA Today Sports