PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Once Jacob deGrom took his spectacular fastball to the dugout, the Philadelphia Phillies took advantage.
A throwing error by Mets third baseman Luis Guillorme allowed the go-ahead runs to score, and the Phillies used a five-run eighth inning to rally for a 5-3 win over New York on Monday night after deGrom had shut them down through six.
“We were happy as a team, of course, getting one of the best pitchers, if not the best pitcher in the entire world, out of the game,” Phillies slugger Bryce Harper said. “We battled against him, had some great at-bats against him. ... We were happy to get into the bullpen, knew we had a chance once he got out of there.”
Francisco Lindor was 1 for 4 with a single and a walk in his debut with the Mets, which was delayed after a three-game series against Washington got wiped out because of a coronavirus outbreak among the Nationals.
Jose Alvarado retired Pete Alonso on a drive to the right field wall with runners on first and third to end it, earning his first save.
DeGrom was dazzling, striking out seven and allowing three hits. The two-time NL Cy Young Award winner was pulled after 77 pitches even though manager Luis Rojas said before the game his pitch count was 100. His fastball averaged 99 mph and he reached 102.
“He hasn’t thrown in 10 days," Rojas said. “The conversations with him between innings led us to pull him."
DeGrom didn't push back because he knew going in that he would be limited due to the long layoff.
“Long season,” he said. "Talking to them, it felt like the right decision.”
Miguel Castro pitched the seventh for the Mets but newcomer Trevor May (0-1) only got one out in the eighth.
Pinch-hitter Brad Miller singled, Andrew McCutchen walked and Rhys Hoskins singled to load the bases. Left-hander Aaron Loup entered and hit Harper with a curveball to force in a run. J.T. Realmuto grounded a single to left to tie it at 2.
Alec Bohm then hit a two-hopper to Guillorme, who entered as a defensive replacement. But his throw home sailed high and off the mitt of catcher James McCann. Two runs scored, giving the Phillies a 4-2 lead. Didi Gregorius’ sacrifice fly made it 5-2.
The Phillies are off to a 4-0 start after sweeping a three-game series from the three-time defending NL East champion Atlanta Braves to start the season.
Connor Brogdon (2-0) worked the eighth for the win and Alvarado pitched out of trouble in the ninth. He allowed an RBI single to Michael Conforto before getting Alonso for the third out.
Philadelphia's Matt Moore lasted 3 1/3 innings, yielding two runs and four hits in his first major league start since 2019. The lefty pitched in Japan last year.
Lindor struck out looking on three pitches in his first at-bat. He walked to load the bases in the third, grounded out to the pitcher in the fifth, lined out to third in the seventh and hit a two-out single to right in the ninth.
The four-time All-Star shortstop was acquired from Cleveland in the offseason and last week agreed to a team-record $341 million, 10-year contract that starts in 2022.
McCann lined an RBI single in the fourth and deGrom dunked an RBI single to left that made it 2-0 and chased Moore. Brandon Kintzler entered and escaped further trouble by getting Kevin Pillar to ground into a double play.
“I can't say enough about what Kintzler did,” Phillies manager Joe Girardi said. “Our bullpen was great.”
OWNER’S PROMISE
New Mets owner Steven Cohen, who bought the team last November, is optimistic about his team.
“I’m not going to predict a World Series out of the gate,” Cohen said Monday on a video conference. “But what I do think is we’re going to be really competitive. I do believe we’re going to make the playoffs, and then once you get into the playoffs, anything can happen, right?”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Phillies: Regular closer Hector Neris wasn’t available because he pitched in the first three games against Atlanta.
UP NEXT
RHP Marcus Stroman takes the mound for the Mets and RHP Chase Anderson makes his first start for the Phillies. Stroman opted not to pitch last season due to COVID-19 concerns. Anderson was 1-2 with a 7.22 ERA for Toronto.
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