New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom got off to a great start in the Wild Card series game on Saturday, and they had a huge source of motivation behind it.
New York Mets quarterback Jacob Degrom experienced absolute pressure on his shoulders at the start of Saturday’s Wild Card game against the San Diego Padres. The Padres crushed the Mets during Friday’s first game 7-1, and DeGrom was determined not to make Game 2 the last.
According to FOX Sports’ Deesha Thosar, “Jacob Degrom said it occurred to him tonight that it might be his last start with the Mets.”
I definitely threw. Over six innings and 99 throws, allowed only five hits, gave up two rounds (one of which was Homer), produced eight hits and two. It was definitely the best option for the match that would have knocked them out of the playoffs if they lost.
The Mets appear to be the favorites to win the series, but the Padres are looking very good at preparing for the final.
Padres may advance to the Division Series above the Mets
The Mets were the leaders of the NL East division until the final week of the season when the Atlanta Braves were able to clinch the division, in part due to their New York sweep.
During the regular season, New York was one of the best teams around. Of all the teams in the league, they had the second-best average batting (.259), percentage on base (.332), eighth-best slowdown (.412) and sixth-best OPS (.744).
Their rotation was also strong, but not as powerful as their formation. They had the seventh-best ERA (3.57), the 11th-best WHIP (.236) and the sixth-best WHIP (1.18).
The Padres had several holes in the roster which have certainly been noticeable this season. It’s no surprise that they made it to the playoffs, but to be able to compete with a team that barely made it out of the automatic NLDS position is impressive, to say the least, especially without Fernando Tates Jr.
Padres Juan Soto’s trade has not benefited the team as much as they had hoped early on, and their main player remains Manny Machado. However, Trent Gresham and Jorgeson Provar played big roles in the post-season success with home runs throughout the first two games.
If Game 1 history repeats itself, the Padres may outperform the Mets.
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