4 years agoWith his two-hit, 15 strikeout, complete-game shutout on Friday against the Nationals, New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom set an impressive MLB record. He became the first pitcher in MLB history to record 50 strikeouts over the first four appearances in a season. The record had previously been held and shared by Nolan Ryan (1978) and, recently, Shane Bieber (2021) with 48. In addition, deGrom became the third pitcher in MLB history to ever strike out 14 batters in three consecutive starts. He has also become the first Mets pitcher in franchise history to have at least 12 strikeouts in three consecutive games. deGrom is currently pitching on another level, even by his standards. His starts have become must-watch events for a franchise that hasn't seen anything like this since Doc Gooden in his Cy Young award season of 1985. deGrom, obviously, remains a must-start in all fantasy formats. It will be exciting to see where the 2021 season takes deGrom in terms of strikeout totals and elite ratios in the context of MLB history.--Nick Ritrivi - RotoBaller
Source: Sarah Langs on Twitter