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After the final launch of his marvelous 2018 season, Jacob deGrom, normally stoic, made a smile. He defeated the mound after deploying a 92-mph slider that rushed so sharply that it froze second baseman Ozzie Albies. The crowd honored deGrom with a standing ovation.
Earlier in the eighth round, Mets fans rang the serenade shouting "Mr.V.P." They then sang "We Want Jake" when Jay Bruce, not DeGrom, stood in the circle at the bottom of the sleeve. And it was hard to blame them: they wanted to see more of the historical excellence that DeGrom had produced every five games this season.
In a 3-0 win over the Atlanta Braves in the playoff final on Wednesday, DeGrom put the finishing touches on a season that could well deserve his first National League Cy Young award. He shot eight scoreless innings, allowed only two hits, did not walk and eliminated 10.
His end-of-season statistics are breathtaking: an average of 1.70 in the race (the sixth lowest total since the pitcher's fall in 1969), 269 strikeouts and only 46 walks in 217 innings.
"He's been the best baseball pitcher all year," said Mets manager Mickey Callaway. "Every time he has surpassed everyone."
Unlike many of his starts this season, DeGrom, 30, received help from his teammates on Wednesday. Jeff McNeil played outstanding games at second base. Michael Conforto and Dominic Smith slammed. The enclosure has not faltered. It was enough to improve the deGrom record to 10-9.
"There is no doubt that he should win the Cy Young," McNeil said.
No, his record is not exceptional, but modern baseball has less emphasized the victories of pitchers, because they do not adequately reflect individual abilities. It was not deGrom's fault that he received the second basic baseball support for any starting pitcher qualified for the E.R.A. Title. It's not his fault that the Mets' box had the second worst result. at baseball. It was not his fault that the defense of the Mets was among the worst.
Due to these factors, the Mets (74-84) went 14-18 to deGrom starts this season. And because of this strange confluence, deGrom's season is almost impossible to reproduce. But in this difficult situation, he maintained a strong will and a bitter attitude that kept his performance stable despite the drama and inconsistency around him.
He tied Jake Arrieta's major league record set in the 2015 and 2016 seasons with 29 consecutive starts of three points or less. For a single season, it's a record.
"It's in years gone by that I put myself in the head and I did not think about anything when things did not go as planned and I did not try to do it one by one," he said. declared deGrom. "It was my goal this year. Looking back, it's a little crazy that there is not really a problem. "
Since his first season, when he won the N.L. Rookie of the Year Award in 2014, deGrom has highlighted an abundance of talent. But he was at a new level this season.
His command has improved. His changeup and his slider have cheated more hitters. Continuing a trend over the years, deGrom has played more in the strike zone, a way to neutralize the jumps of today's game. Under new coach Dave Eiland, deGrom has also shot more often to batters, especially left-handed.
Since 1908, only three throwers have had a season with a score of less than 2.00 E.R.A., at least 250 withdrawals and 50 steps or less. Christy Mathewson did it for the New York Giants in 1908, Pedro Martinez achieved the feat with the Boston Red Sox in 2000, and now DeGrom has done the same. (The first two of Dwarf Groms in the wins category, though.)
At the start of the day on Wednesday, DeGrom had set his opponent a .533 over-base-plus-slugging average – worse than the worst daily baseball hitter, the Baltimore Orioles, who had .539 O.P.S.
"I do not know how anyone ever beats him," said Brian Snitker, director of Braves.
Entering Wednesday's game, deGrom led all pitchers in the FanGraphs version of the wins over the replacement, with 8.3. The stat, known as WAR, attempts to isolate a player's contributions to the team, and the deGrom total was a complete victory over Washington's Max Scherzer, his next best competition in the Cy Young race and the winner in the last two years. DeGrom is ranked among the top six in the majors in many other categories of pitchers.
"It will be the best season of my life, with the caliber of the game and the difficulty of throwing these days," Callaway said.
After Wednesday's game, DeGrom admitted that most of his joy was reaching his goal of 1000 career outs, which he achieved on the final throw of the season. He said it would take a few days to appreciate what he has accomplished this year. "I wish we were in a different position, but I am very happy with the way I thrown the ball," he said.
As much to win the N.L. Cy Young Award, payable by the baseball voting authors. DeGrom will have to wait until November to learn the results, but he improved his chances on Wednesday.
"I would have liked to have more victories, but that's what it is," he said. "I have the impression of putting myself in a good position."
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