deGrom Exits in 3rd Inning With Shoulder Soreness

New York Mets fans held their breath tonight, as Superman...uh, Jake deGrom did not return to the mound at Citi Field in the fourth inning after dominating the Chicago Cubs over the first three innings. deGrom struck out 8 of the 9 batters he faced. He didn’t give up a hit or a walk. Oh yeah, in his only time up, he singled and drove in a run. The Mets only had 5 hits the entire night. deGrom is now hitting .423 with 6 RBI.

The Major League Era leader left his last start with elbow flexor soreness. After watching Tyler Glasnow eloquently describe (see Dan Bohl’s article to watch the statement) how, what and why he uses a combination of sunscreen and rosin to get a better grip on the ball, not Spyder Tac or any other synthetic adhesive, just a little Coppertone mixed with some of that big white bag full of rosin powder that has sat behind pitchers mounds for almost a 100 years.

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So, when MLB started making a big deal about the substances pitchers were using, Glasnow stopped using it. He faced the Nationals using nothing. He pitched great. Glasnow said that he had to grip the ball tighter, which resulted in increased soreness the next day. It wasn’t just soreness now, Glasnow faces Tommy John Surgery.

One has to think that Jacob deGrom’s injury may be a result of the same thing. Hitters are allowed to use synthetic substances to grip the bat. However, Major League Baseball wants to crackdown on pitchers. Why?

They are looking for someone to blame. Commissioner Rob Manfred decided to deaden the baseball. Offense in MLB goes down. OH NO! The Commissioner of Baseball instructed Rawlings, the manufacturers of the MLB baseball, to make it travel less distance.

Guess what Mr. Commissioner? You did it. Home runs are down. Offense is down...oh too much? People are upset? You had better blame someone or they will be coming after you, Rob. Blame the pitchers. They have been cheating for 100 years by using substances to grip the baseball. NO, they haven’t been using sunscreen and rosin, have they? Great job Mr. Manfred.

Now when we may not be able to watch our favorite baseball stars like Tyler Glasnow and Jake deGrom, as they join the injury parade, maybe caused by MLB itself. Another spectacular result from a Rob Manfred initiative. Thanks Rob!