DeGrom ties Nolan Ryan's record for most Ks through 1st 5 starts
The run support may not be there, but New York Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom keeps on rolling.
The ace hurler struck out nine Boston Red Sox batters over six innings of work Wednesday. The outing brought his season strikeout total to 59, matching Nolan Ryan's 1979 record for most punchouts through a starter's first five appearances in a season since 1893, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com.
DeGrom allowed one run on three hits while throwing 66 of his 93 pitches for strikes. His ERA actually increased from 0.31 to 0.51, as he's now allowed two earned runs over 35 innings this season.
The 32-year-old narrowly missed extending his streak of double-digit strikeout games after recording at least 14 punchouts in each of his previous three outings.
Despite turning in yet another sterling effort, deGrom was ultimately credited with the loss as the Red Sox won 1-0. The Mets seemingly lose the ability to hit whenever deGrom toes the rubber and have done so for some time.
This is the 19th time in Jacob deGrom's career that he went 6+ IP, allowing 1 run or fewer, and the Mets lost the game
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) April 29, 2021
That's 3 more such starts than anyone else in MLB since 2014