Jacob deGrom continues to dominate and now, his name can be mentioned alongside an inaugural Hall of Famer.
In his gem against the Washington Nationals, during which deGrom allowed one earned run on three hits and one walk over seven innings, the New York Mets ace threw his 23rd straight quality start.
The 30-year-old's unbelievable stretch is the most in a single season since 1910, when Walter Johnson threw 31 straight. Johnson was enshrined in Cooperstown alongside Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson, Babe Ruth, and Honus Wagner in the first ever Hall of Fame class of 1936.
Player | Season | Consecutive Quality Starts |
---|---|---|
Walter Johnson | 1910 | 31 |
Earl Moore | 1909 | 27 |
Ed Walsh | 1910 | 26 |
Ed Summers | 1909 | 26 |
George Bell | 1909 | 26 |
Harry Crowell | 1908 | 25 |
Andy Coakley | 1908 | 25 |
Jacob deGrom | 2018 | 23 |
Hooks Wiltse | 1908 | 23 |
Chris Carpenter | 2005 | 22 |
Jean Dubuc | 1912 | 22 |
George McQuillan | 1908 | 22 |
(Statistics courtesy: Baseball-Reference Play Index)
With eight games remaining for the Mets, deGrom will be unable to overtake Johnson's single season record. However, if he can continue this remarkable run into next season, he could threaten Irvin Key 'Kaiser' Wilhelm's MLB record of 52 straight quality starts across two seasons.
Not including 1910 or earlier, the longest streak is held by Bob Gibson, who pitched 26 consecutive quality starts between 1967-68. Jake Arrieta threw 24 straight between 2015-16 and ranks second among pitchers since 1910.
deGrom has lowered his season ERA to 1.77 with Friday's victory, claiming his ninth win of the year. Over 209 innings pitched, deGrom has struck out 259 batters and allowed 46 walks.