Jacob deGrom sauntered into Yankee Stadium with a microscopic ERA and the longest scoreless streak of any major league starter. He walked out after taking the worst beating of his big league career in a loss that snapped that longest winning streak in Met history.
The Mets and deGrom got pummeled 6-1 in front of 45,310 at Yankee Stadium. It was an ugly way to snap their team-record-tying 11-game winning streak, and his personal 18 ¹/₃-inning scoreless streak that had been the longest of any starter in the majors.
“We’re surprised when Jake doesn’t have his good stuff,’’ Mets manager Terry Collins said, “and [Friday] he didn’t have it.”
The battering deGrom (2-2) took was less about stuff and more about control — or lack thereof. He excels at keeping the ball down and in the park, but on Friday he did neither. After allowing just five homers in his last 23 starts, he served up three Friday, tying his career high.
“I was just leaving the ball up. I was having a hard time getting it down and I just wasn’t executing my pitches,’’ said deGrom, who wouldn’t use the 46 degree weather as an alibi.
“No, I don’t think it was a factor.,” he said. “I was throwing the ball fine in the bullpen. When I went in the game, I don’t know if it was adrenaline or something, but I was leaving the ball up. I’ve got to make the adjustment there and put us in a better position in that game.’’
It’s hard to imagine deGrom leaving the Mets in a worse position, down 6-0 after just three innings. He surrendered eight hits, three of them homers, and tied his career-high by giving up six runs.
Yankee Stadium certainly isn’t pitcher-friendly Citi Field, and with a wind blowing out to the short porch in right, Mark Teixeira took advantage with two homers to right field that just stayed fair.
“He hit those hard. They were hit hard and they got out. That’s the ballpark and it is what it is,’’ shrugged deGrom. “Just one of those nights.’’’
After giving up three homers to the Dodgers in his second career start, deGrom had never surrendered more than one. That is, until getting strafed Friday.
In the first inning, he saw Teixeira pull his 2-1 pitch just inside the right field foul pole and into the second deck for a 2-0 lead. Then, after coughing up a third-inning solo shot to Jacoby Ellsbury, he saw Teixeira plant his 1-1 offering into the second deck for a 5-0 lead.
A Stephen Drew sacrifice fly capped the scoring, and deGrom’s ERA soared from 0.93 to 2.96.
“Whenever you get the ball up, you can make mistakes. But I think just two pitches really [hurt], those two home runs,’’ catcher Kevin Plawecki said. “You take away those first three innings we’ve got a different game.’’