DeGrom vs. Nationals

 So, I'm watching the MLB.com free game of the day with DeGrom pitching, and I thought I'd set down some thoughts.

Designated hitter or not?

DeGrom is batting 8th in this game, ahead of catcher Tomas Nido. It's tempting to dismiss that as a stunt, except that DeGrom hit a RBI double in the 5th. I was interested to see whether that was an isolated incident, so I checked Retrosheet to see what I could find. DeGrom just hit 9th in 2019, but he hit 8th in 11 games in 2018. Here's the breakdown for that year: 

Bat Order   G  AB   R   H  2B  3B  HR RBI  BB  SO    AVG   OBP   SLG
8th        11  25   0   2   0   0   0   1   1  10    .080  .115  .080
9th        19  42   1   9   1   0   0   4   3  15    .214  .267  .238

 So .080 in the 8th spot isn't that great, but still.  He was 4 for 7 before this game, he has a .196 career batting average with 3 home runs, he's a legitimate hitter.

It's extremely dull to see .100 hitters having to go through the motions, waving the bat idly before trotting resignedly to the dugout. But pitchers who actually care, who can hit some, are really fun. And then there are guys like Shohei Ohtani. I just wish there was a way to reconcile the issue.

Mastery

I was excited to see DeGrom pitch, because I don't have a MLB.tv subscription, so seeing great pitchers is a real treat. Last year, or maybe 2019, I was really excited to watch a DeGrom vs. Hyun-Jin Ryu free game of the day. They pitched great, but they both left after the 6th inning, and after that I didn't really care. The outcome of the game didn't matter to me because I'm not a fan of either team. I just wanted to watch two great pitchers.

This game hasn't disappointed. DeGrom has struck out 15 after 8 shutout innings, allowing just 2 hits. And I've marveled at his pitching. He throws 100 pitch after pitch, but the way he throws gives you hope that you could be DeGrom. He just throws nice and easy, no undue exertion, like it's nothing.

(Disdaining a pinch hitter, DeGrom was left in to hit. He promptly singled, bringing his average for the season to .600. So maybe pitchers hitting should stay. The "real" hitter after him flies out. Then Nimmo hits a homer, and DeGrom scores his second run of the night.)

Bullpens are dull when they are a routine. When you have an elite closer, like Mariano Rivera or Dan Quisenberry or someone like that, he's brought in because you want him on the mound, because he's going to dominate. But when a reliever is brought in just because the starter is done, it feels like a break in continuity. Especially if the pitcher is pitching great. I feel like managers are often over-cautious with pitchers. Obviously you don't want pitchers being left in to die (figuratively), after their pitch count has gone above 110. A couple weeks ago, I remember seeing a pitcher who got taken out after just 6 innings even though I think he had a no-hitter. Anyone, he was pitching awesome, and his pitch count couldn't have been too high after 6. That kind of thing is just infuriating. So please, managers, please, please, please, don't take your ace out after 6 innings, 

(And it's over. DeGrom struck out 15 for a 2-hit shutout, so wow. I wish I was at Citi Field right now. Everyone just seems to so happy and excited to be there, like they should be. Too often when you see a game on TV the crowd is sedate, even on their phones, of all the blasphemous things possible, but for this game everyone's standing up and smiling, and kids are jumping up and down. The Mets won 6-0, with DeGrom logging his second shutout.)

DeGrom has struck out 50 batters over his first 4 starts, which is apparently a record. Given that he struck out 104 batters in 68 innings last year, he has a real chance to reach the 300 mark this year.

I'd love to write about DeGrom's Hall of Fame chances, and how bad the Yankees announcers are, but it's 8:50, so I'll have to leave it for another day. 

Lightning is repeatedly flashing in the distance, like it's trying to tell me to stop in morse code. So I guess that's it for tonight. Goodnight, and I hope you enjoyed this post.