I’m taking a victory lap here.
Back when you were all on Matt Harvey’s jock I started using the term One True Ace with JDG. Matt was sexier, and Thor was sexier but good old JDG was The One Truce Ace. AM I RIGHT NOW? Yes. Yes I am. And you know I called him that.
But enough about me. How awesome is this? To win even one is such an accomplishment. Two? Amazing. Two in a row? WOW.
Wait until the Mets find out they had the best pitcher of the 21st Century and did nothing with him. At least, and this is kind of shocking, they extended him last year so he won’t be leaving as a Free Agent.
#RETIRE48
JACOB deGROM NAMED
NATIONAL LEAGUE CY YOUNG AWARD WINNER
FLUSHING, N.Y., November 13, 2019 – New York Mets RHP Jacob deGrom tonight was named the 2019 National League Cy Young Award recipient by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). This marks the second-straight win for deGrom, who is the 20th pitcher in major league history to win multiple Cy Young Awards.
DeGrom received 29 of 30 first-place votes, earning 207 of a possible 210 voting points, and is the seventh NL pitcher to win back-to-back Cy Youngs, joining Sandy Koufax (1965-1966), Greg Maddux (1992-1995), Randy Johnson (1999-2002), Tim Lincecum (2008-2009), Clayton Kershaw (2013-2014) and Max Scherzer (2016-2017). Tom Seaver is the only other Mets pitcher with multiple Cy Young Awards (1969, 1973, 1975).
“Receiving this award again is an honor and I am so thankful for the Baseball Writers’ Association for their support,” deGrom said. “My goal is to put up zeroes every time I pitch. I’ll take that mindset into next season and try my best to help the Mets win as many games as I can.”
The right-hander led the NL in strikeouts (255), bWAR (7.3) fWAR (7.0), opponent OPS (.580) and opponent slugging (.323). He ranked second in the league in ERA (2.43), WHIP (0.97), FIP (2.67) double-digit strikeout games (nine) and opponent OBP (.257) and finished third in the NL in HR/9 (0.84) and innings pitched (204.0).
DeGrom began his award-winning campaign by extending his quality start streak to a major-league record-tying 26-straight outings and ended the season tossing 23.0 consecutive scoreless innings, the longest season-ending scoreless streak in Mets history. He was named to his third All-Star team in 2019 and threw 7.0 innings or more 19 times, the most in the majors, including in 12 of his final 13 starts and each of his final eight outings.
“Jacob’s brilliance has been truly amazing and so much fun for our fans to watch,” said Mets COO Jeff Wilpon. “They have a chance to witness something special every time he takes the mound. I know our fans, his teammates and the entire organization are proud that he is part of a great list of elite Mets pitchers.”
“Jacob’s second-straight award win cements his status as one of this generation’s greatest pitchers,” Mets Executive Vice President and General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen said. “He is a critical part of our short and long-term future and we are thrilled that he will continue to be the anchor of our staff for years to come.”
Mets pitchers have garnered seven Cy Young Awards (Seaver, Dwight Gooden-1985 and R.A. Dickey-2012), tied for the second-most for any franchise. Only the Dodgers (12 Cy Youngs) have more. This is the first time in Mets history that the team has had two national BBWAA award winners in the same season, with Pete Alonso earning Rookie of the Year honors earlier this week.
DeGrom will be presented with the award during the 97th Annual New York Baseball Writers’ Dinner on January 25, 2020 at the New York Hilton Midtown Hotel.
