Jacob deGrom thought about potential Mets departure during playoff start

New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom had an incredible start in Saturday’s Wild Card series game, and he had a great source of motivation behind it.

New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom had the ultimate pressure on his shoulders starting Saturday’s Wild Card game against the San Diego Padres. The Padres crushed the Mets during Game 1 on Friday with a final score of 7-1, and deGrom was determined to not make Game 2 his last.

According to Deesha Thosar of FOX Sports, “Jacob deGrom said it crossed his mind tonight that it could be his last start for the Mets.”

He certainly delivered. Over six innings and 99 pitches, he allowed just five hits, gave up two runs (one of which was a homer), and produced eight strikeouts and two walks. He was certainly the best choice for the matchup that would’ve knocked them out of the playoffs if they lost.

The Mets seemed to be the favorites to win the series, but the Padres are looking pretty good gearing up for the final game.

The Padres may advance to the divisional series over the Mets

The Mets were the leaders of the NL East division until the last week of the season when the Atlanta Braves managed to clinch the division, in part due to a sweep over New York.

Over the regular season, New York was one of the best teams all around. Among all teams in the league, they had the second-best batting average (.259), on-base percentage (.332), eighth-best slugging percentage (.412) and sixth-best OPS (.744).

Their rotation was pretty strong as well, but not as strong as their lineup. They had the seventh-best ERA (3.57), 11th-best opponent batting average (.236) and sixth-best WHIP (1.18).

The Padres had several holes in the roster that were certainly noticeable this season. It’s not surprising that they made it to the playoffs, but to be so competitive with a team that was barely knocked out of an automatic NLDS spot is impressive, to say the least, especially without Fernando Tatis Jr.

The Padres Juan Soto trade didn’t benefit the team as much as they had hoped early on, and their main slugger has remained Manny Machado. Trent Grisham and Jurickson Profar, however, have played big parts in the postseason success with home runs throughout games one and two.

If the history of Game 1 repeats itself, the Padres could overtake the Mets.