Pedro Martinez vs. Jacob deGrom

Yesterday I had a chance to see Jacob deGrom pitch in-person for the first time since a 2015 home game. As previously noted on our podcast, the weekend home games we typically go to tend to involve our number 4 or 5 in the rotation.

While it wasn’t his most dominant performance, it was still a treat to see the GOAT & ACE on the mound. On the long ride home from CitiField, I was thinking about the last time I can remember a dominant stretch of pitching.

All I could think of was the Pedro Martinez run in ’99 and ’00. As I mentioned in my previous post about deGrom, I am not a stats guy, but I couldn’t help but dive into the numbers. Here’s a comparative look at the numbers.

Pedro 2000 vs. deGrom 2021

We covered how memorable 2000 was for us Mets fans. That said, as a freshman at Quinnipiac – surrounded by a ton of Sox fans for the first time in my life – I gained a new appreciation for Pedro. And the numbers prove it.

Pedro ended ’00 with a stat line of: 18-6, 1.74 ERA, 7CG, 4 SHO, 32 BBs and 284Ks. Here is his stat line through 13 games compared to this year’s bakers dozen for deGrom.

• Pedro: 9-3, 1.18 ERA, 130K, 19 BB, 56Hs and an opponent BA of .161. He also recorded six double-digit strikeout games. The Red Sox were 9-4 in his starts.
  
• deGrom: 7-2, 0.69 ERA, 122Ks, 11 BBs, 30Hs and an opponent BA of .115. deGrom has recorded five double-digit strikeout games. The Mets are 10-3 in his starts.

Pedro ’99 vs. deGrom 2021

The 1999 version of Pedro was ungodly. He finished the year 23-4 with a 2.07 ERA. Throughout the season he had five CGs, while striking out 313 and only walking 37 batters across the season. A comparison at his first 13 games compared to deGrom looks like this:

• Pedro: 11-2, 2.16 ERA, 143Ks, 20 BBs, 76Hs and an opponent BA of .214. Pedro also recorded nine double-digit strikeout games.
• deGrom: 7-2, 0.69 ERA, 122Ks, 11 BBs, 30Hs and an opponent BA of .115. deGrom has recorded five double-digit strikeout games. The Mets are 10-3 in his starts.

Closing Thoughts

To this point, Pedro’s 2000 season is the better compare statistically. Of course, there are other factors in play such as PEDs, different baseballs, etc. However, it goes without saying that we’re watching something incredibly special with Jacob. And that’s something, we’re grateful for. Let’s go Mets!

Jacob deGrom warming up before the first inning of his start agains the Philadelphia Phillies on June 26, 2021.