Jacob DeGrom Flirting With Another Level of History

We're all well aware of his greatness, but this is ridiculous

Jacob deGrom went seven scoreless on Saturday night blah blah blah. It’s easy to expect this level of performance from arguably one of the best to ever step on a major league pitching mound.

That’s not even hyperbole. The dominance that we’re seeing from deGrom right now is unlike anything we’ve ever seen. Elite doesn’t even feel like the right word to describe it any more. It’s historic.

We’ve talked about the transcendent strides he’s taken over the last few seasons at depth. We’ve also heard — many times from many different sources — about deGrom’s otherworldly level of dedication to his craft.

I mean, come on. Who just up and decides to turn that dial up to 11 and start pumping 101 MPH four-seamers past the league? The dude is an alien.

Whether the next gear deGrom hit had anything to do with Terry Collins throwing his arm around his beleaguered starter’s shoulder after one of the worst starts of deGrom’s career in Texas four years ago today will likely remain one of the great mysteries of his ascent.

In any case, Jake is here now and doing absolutely bewildering things on that mound. His 0.62 ERA after nine starts this season is nearly beyond comprehension. Like, yeah, we get it. He’s good. But how is he this good? At 32-years-old, no less?

Despite a late start to his career (debuted in 2014, 25 years old), the ground deGrom is making up as most guys are slowing down is sticking him among some lofty company.

If he continues to do what he’s done so far, there could be no one else left to pass when it’s all said and done.

Among all qualified pitchers since 1901 (minimum 28 starts), Mordecai Brown — he of three-fingered fame; I read he developed a sick knuckle-curve with the stubs, but anyway — holds the modern record for fewest earned runs allowed in a season with 32.

Christy Mathewson (35, 1909) and Ed Walsh (36, 1909) round out the top-three, with Bob Gibson (1968), Greg Maddux (1995), and Blake Snell (2018) next on the list with 38.

Left-hander Dutch Leonard, wayyyy back in 1914, allowed 24 earned runs over 36 appearances (25 starts). He’s the qualified leader in the clubhouse.

If he were to stay on this pace over the course of a 30-game season, Jake would shatter that mark.

Through his first nine starts of the 2021 season, Jacob deGrom has allowed four (4) earned runs. So, as unlikely as it is, at this rate, he would finish the season with 13.32 earned runs allowed. So let’s say 14.

Uncharted waters. Like, 12th-century, “don’t go too far or you’ll fall off the edge of the Earth” uncharted waters.

Leonard also owns the lowest qualified single-season ERA in MLB history with 0.96. It truly doesn’t seem that far-fetched, but we’ll only go so far as to mention it for now.

What we’re watching now is something that our great-grandchildren will be asking our kids about. I’m just gonna soak it all in.

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