New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom made his 2022 MLB regular-season debut Tuesday night at the Washington Nationals and dazzled even though he failed to earn a win in what became a 5-1 New York defeat.
Fans won't have to wait long to see deGrom back on the bump.
According to Anthony DiComo of the MLB website, deGrom experienced no issues coming off Tuesday's outing and played catch on Wednesday afternoon. The 34-year-old remains on track to start for this Sunday's home game against the division-rival Atlanta Braves.
Jacob deGrom says he came out of his season debut feeling good. Played catch this afternoon without issue. He's all set to make his second start of the season Sunday against the Braves. The general guideline will be up to six innings/75 pitches in that one.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) August 3, 2022
The two-time National League Cy Young Award winner hadn't pitched in a big-league regular-season game since July 7, 2021, and missed the second half of last season due to lingering elbow problems. A stress reaction in the scapula of deGrom's pitching shoulder then kept him out of the club's rotation from the closing days of this past March through the beginning of August.
Against the Nationals, deGrom threw 59 pitches and allowed one run on three hits with six strikeouts over five innings of work. The New York bullpen subsequently surrendered four runs in the loss.
The first-place Mets, meanwhile, went into the Wednesday afternoon matchup at Washington holding a three-game lead over the second-place Braves in the National League East standings.
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