Jacob deGrom Brilliant, Loses Debut 1-0

Jacob deGrom and Chase Whitley each made their major league debuts in the fourth and final game of the Subway Series. Whitley was good, not allowing any runs in a night that prematurely came to an end. DeGrom, though, was absolutely brilliant but he was done in by some bad defense and no offense. He suffered a 1-0 loss.

DeGrom got the first two outs of the first inning, then allowed a double to Jacoby Ellsbury. He followed with a his major league strikeout, fanning Mark Teixeira to end the inning.

Brian McCann led off the second with a single, but deGrom got a strikeout and started a double play on a comebacker to keep the Yankees off the board.

With one out in the third Jacob deGrom allowed a single and a walk. But then he started another double play when Derek Jeter hit a liner right back to him. He snared it and doubled off the runner at first.

Ruben Tejada led off the third with the first hit off Whitley. Tejada moved to second when Juan Centeno, catching for Travis d’Arnaud who is on the seven-day concussion disabled list, grounded out. Jacob deGrom was next, and he singled in his first major league at bat. It was also the first hit for Mets pitchers this season, so now we don’t have to hear about that nonsense anymore. But with runners on first and third Whitley got Eric Young to fly out and Murphy to strike out.

DeGrom retired the Yankees in order in both the fourth and fifth innings.

With one out in the fifth Whitley walked Tejada and Centeno. DeGrom sacrificed them to second and third. And strangely, that was all for Whitley, who had thrown only 74 pitches. Dellin Betances grounded out to end the threat.

Jacob deGrom did not let up, getting the Yankees one-two-three in the sixth.

In the seventh deGrom walked a batter with one out. McCann hit a grounder to second that should have been an inning-ending double play. But Daniel Murphy waited back on the ball and David Wright, covering second because of the shift, did not get anything on the throw and McCann was safe. Alfonso Soriano took advantage, doubling to center. The slow McCann rounded third and the relay to the plate was high and McCann scored to make it 1-0.

DeGrom was done after the inning and 91 pitches. He allowed the one run on four hits, with six strikeouts and two walks.

Scott Rice came on for the eighth. He got the first out, then he walked the next two batters. Both were lefties. Inexcusable. Jeurys Familia came in and his first pitch to Derek Jeter went to the backstop, advancing the runners to second and third. Jeter hit a grounder to the drawn-in infield and the runner at third was thrown out at the plate for the second out. Familia was then removed in favor of Josh Edgin, just up from Vegas. With runners on first and third, Ellsbury popped out to left on the first pitch.

With one out in the eighth pinch hitter Bobby Abreu walked. Juan Lagares pinch ran. With two outs Murphy singled to put runners on first and third. Closer David Robertson came in to face David Wright. He grounded out to strand the runners.

The Mets went quietly in the ninth. They were quiet all game, managing just three hits. They struck out 14 times, including six of the seven batters Betances faced. The Mets just have no offense, unless they are playing in Yankee Stadium, of course.

Mets lose 1-0, shut out for the second straight game.