NL WILD CARD SERIES: PADRES VS METS

October 8, 2022

Jacob deGrom

Citi Field

New York Mets

Postgame Press Conference

Q. Jake, just when you look at your night tonight, obviously came out of the gate with really great stuff. How are you able to just continue to be effective as the command started to wane a little bit at points?

JACOB DeGROM: Yeah, like I said before, trying to make pitches when I needed to. That's what I was able to do tonight.

I've got to tip my hat to Trent. That homer, I felt like that was a good pitch, and he just got to it. After that -- then I ended up walking him.

But in spots with runners in scoring position, the main focus was one pitch at a time to make the pitch I needed to make.

Q. Those two moments that stand out were in the third inning and the fifth inning when you had two runners on and able to get three big strikeouts. Just was it something specific in those at-bats that you were able to come through with?

JACOB DeGROM: Yeah, it was just trying to slow everything down, like I said, and really execute, try not to leave everything over the middle and throw it where I needed to throw it.

I was fortunate enough that I was able to do that in those situations.

Q. On that Machado strikeout, I was just wondering why you decided to go all sliders in that at-bat?

JACOB DeGROM: That's a good question. What did I do? That was, what, the third at-bat?

Q. Yeah, you struck him out with a fastball in the previous at-bat?

JACOB DeGROM: That was more trying to read his swing. Then I had a good feel for the slider right then. So I was like, you know what, I'm going with this, and hopefully I can get him to chase off, and I was able to.

Q. In that inning, did you like your secondary stuff more than your fastball?

JACOB DeGROM: Yeah, that inning I did. I think that's the inning I gave up the hit down the line to Profar on the slider. That's the one that I wish I would have went fastball.

But I felt like I had a good feel for it. I just threw too many in a row to him, and he kept one fair.

And then with Machado, there's more room for error. You don't have to worry about hitting him when it's going that way. So I felt like I had a good feel for it.

Q. Two things are possible. Are you in a position right now where you're trying to figure out start to start more than ever what you have for the game?

JACOB DeGROM: Yeah, my change-up wasn't great. I threw -- probably the best one I threw was to bell, and he got a single off of it. So then it was kind of fastball, slider for most of the night. I only threw one curveball, I believe.

But it was just sticking with those two pitches, once I felt like I figured out where my slider was going -- you know, didn't want to get beat on a third or fourth best pitch.

Q. And the other one is before, during, or when you were done with your start, did you have any moment where you thought, if this doesn't go right, this could be my last start here with the Mets?

JACOB DeGROM: I guess that went into my mind, but the hope was we'd win a baseball game and continue to keep playing.

Like I said yesterday, the goal was to put us in a position to win or give us a chance and pass it on to Bassitt. So our guys did a good job of coming out and putting together good at-bats and getting Blake out of there early and putting up some runs late.

So go try to win a baseball game tomorrow.

Q. At what point did that cross your mind?

JACOB DeGROM: I don't know exactly.

Q. Pregame or --

JACOB DeGROM: 10:45. Yeah, I don't know. (Laughter). I have no clue honestly.

Q. In the fifth inning you mentioned slowing down and making sure even more to execute, in a job where you have to be focused 100 percent of the time, what is it like in those moments where you have to focus somehow even more?

JACOB DeGROM: I was trying to make a little bit of a mechanical adjustment in this start. I felt like in Atlanta and Oakland I was leaning a little bit and not balanced how I wanted to be. So I was trying to get that out of my head and be like, hey, you have to throw this pitch where you need to. You know, try to eliminate every other thought and execute in the moment.

Like I said, I was fortunate enough that I was able to do that.

Q. Was there any discussion in between the fifth and sixth about you going back out? I know there was a meeting on the mound in the fifth. What did you feel like going back out for the sixth, which seems that you sort of cruised through that one?

JACOB DeGROM: Yeah, they asked how I'm doing, and I said I'm good to go. Let's keep going. I actually felt like I had my best stuff in the sixth inning. Slider was good. Fastball, I felt like I finally actually to Drury, like, threw one down and away where I wanted.

Early on, they were just a little bit off and not quite the height I wanted them. So I felt like I made an adjustment there. Like I said, the sixth inning, I actually felt the best.

Q. You mentioned your other elimination game start against L.A. yesterday. Did this feel at all like that in some of the bigger moments for you?

JACOB DeGROM: Yeah, definitely. Especially throwing here, you know, win or go home. Like I said, love pitching here. Mets fans have been great to me. Didn't want to disappoint.

So I wanted to go out there and give us a chance, and we were able to win a game.