BY GEORGE DICKIE
It's not a stretch to say that as Jacob deGrom goes, so go
the New York Mets.
Indeed, when the two-time Cy Young winning right-
hander went down last season with a forearm strain after his
July 7 start, the Mets were leading the NL East with a 46-37
record and deGrom was enjoying another fine year with a
7-2 won-lost mark, a 1.08 ERA and a WHIP of .55. The
Mets' first playoff appearance in five years seemed assured
and a third trophy very likely for their ace.
But then deGrom, who had been nagged throughout the
season by what appeared to be minor aches and pains, finally
succumbed to what was initially diagnosed as a partially torn
UCL then changed to a strained forearm.
Though a collective sigh of relief went up among the Mets
and their faithful at the news, it didn't help them on the
field. Without deGrom, the pitching collapsed, the hitters
didn't hit and the Mets
went 31-48 the rest of the
way to nosedive out of the
postseason. In the process,
they became the only team
in baseball history to finish
with a sub-.500 record after
leading their division for
three-plus months.
The Mets open the 2022
season with deGrom on the
mound Thursday, April 7,
when they challenge the
Nationals in Washington,
D.C.
deGrom returns from injury
to lead Mets rotation
• FOR THE WEEK OF APRIL 4 - 10, 2022 •
"Benjamin Franklin" airs
Monday and Tuesday on
PBS.
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