Mets' Jacob deGrom leaves start with elbow issue, says 'not too concerned about it'
New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom was pulled after six scoreless innings Friday night with right flexor tendinitis, but the two-time NL Cy Young Award winner said he isn't concerned by the diagnosis in continuation of his dominant start to the 2021 season.
DeGrom faced the minimum against the San Diego Padres and had thrown just 80 pitches before being lifted. Manager Luis Rojas met with deGrom in the dugout after the sixth and shook his hand, signaling his night was done. He struck out 10 batters and allowed only a single off the bat of San Diego's Wil Myers. He lowered his ERA to 0.56 this season.
New York announced the elbow injury two innings later.
DeGrom, speaking after the game, said he felt the elbow issue in between starts this week. He said it tightened up on him in the sixth inning, leading to his exit.
"I am not too concerned about it because it did not get much worse as the game went on," he said. "Whenever you say elbow, everybody gets nervous about that. I am not too worried about it. Hopefully it's something we can treat."
DeGrom tore the ligament in his pitching elbow as a minor leaguer in 2010, and he said "this didn't feel anything like that.'' He underwent several tests to ensure the ligament was intact -- something the 32-year-old does regularly -- but those tests did not include any imaging.
DeGrom doesn't plan to seek an MRI or other imaging, and he expects to proceed with his normal between-start routine and pitch next time his rotation spot comes up.
Rojas is on board with that plan.
"I'm not concerned either, just because Jake is not," Rojas said. "This is a guy who knows his body really well, knows his arm really well.''
The Mets led 3-0 when deGrom left the game, in part because of his two-run single off Padres lefty Blake Snell in the fifth. DeGrom has now driven in five runs as a hitter this season. As a pitcher, he has allowed just four earned runs in 64 innings to begin the campaign.
DeGrom's seventh strikeout gave him 100 on the season. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, that is the fewest innings by a starter to reach 100 strikeouts in a single season since the mound moved to its current distance in 1893.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
