Welcome to the club, kid.
Jacob deGrom spent the afternoon throwing up zeroes and set up the Mets’ one productive inning at the plate with his bat … only to watch the bullpen give it away.
Like so many other starting pitchers before him the last few years, deGrom watched helplessly as Mets relievers flushed his impressive outing down the toilet, ruining his shot at his first major loeague victory — and a Mets win for that matter — in a 5-3 Memorial Day loss to the Pirates at Citi Field.
“My job is to keep us in the ball games. I’m trying to do that every time,” deGrom said. “Wins will take care of themselves as long as I give them a chance.
“That’s part of the game. Nobody’s perfect out there.”
In what was arguably the best of his three starts, the 6-foot-4 deGrom scattered five hits, walked five and struck out four over 6 ²/₃ innings, leaving to a standing ovation with two on and two out in the seventh.
Jeurys Familia, one of the few reliable arms in the maligned bullpen, stranded the runners after deGrom departed, catching Pirates All-Star Andrew McCutchen looking at a 3-2 breaking ball.
But Scott Rice and Jose Valverde combined to give up two runs in the eighth, laying waste to the fine work done by the two youngsters. And Valverde, released after the poor outing, allowed the game-winning runs in the ninth after retiring the first two batters.
Lack of run support isn’t new for deGrom. In his three outings, the Mets have scored a total of five runs. Despite a 1.83 ERA, he has an 0-2 record.
DeGrom displayed impressive stamina against the Pirates, throwing 122 pitches and pumping in 93 mph fastballs into the seventh. He did a fine job pitching around early trouble, inducing former Yankees catcher Russell Martin into a 5-4-3 double play in the first to escape a bases-loaded jam and holding the Pirates without a hit in seven at-bats with runners in scoring position.
“I’m happy with the pitches I made when I needed to,” deGrom said. “I would say my [focus] increased [with men in scoring position]. I focus the whole game, but those are big pitches. They really count. … I located those balls, put them where I needed to and got the result I wanted.
“Today was really a battle, and I’m happy with how I did in that without having my best stuff.”
But not with the end result, of course. He’s still waiting for that elusive first victory.