DeGrom, 31, is one of four Mets to have won the Cy Young Award. Tom Seaver (1969, 1973, 1975), Dwight Gooden (1985) and R.A. Dickey (2012) are the others.
Wednesday brought one more night of mid-November celebration for a franchise that has failed to capitalize on deGrom’s dominance the last three years. On Monday, Pete Alonso was chosen as the National League rookie of the year. After completing a record-setting season, Alonso said that he looked up to deGrom, who had established himself as a phenom in New York five years earlier.
“Jake’s the best,” Alonso said. “I’ve learned a ton just watching how he goes about his business.”
DeGrom, who finished the season with an 11-8 record, saw plenty change around him in the last year. His former agent, Brodie Van Wagenen, became the Mets general manager before the season. Despite overseeing deGrom’s first Cy Young campaign, the pitching coach Dave Eiland was dismissed in June, when the starters and the bullpen were struggling and the team was 35-39. The staff had a 4.67 E.R.A., which ranked 20th in the majors, and 16 blown saves, which ranked last. Regan replaced Eiland, and deGrom returned to form in the second half of the season.
After his last start, deGrom acknowledged that he wanted to return to the postseason to feel more fulfilled.
“I’m happy with how I ended my season, but not happy where we’re at,” he said. “The goal is to win a World Series, and we fell short of that goal. It’s a tough night, a tough pill to swallow.”
On Wednesday, at least, he was beaming after another individual honor that firmly established him among the greatest pitchers in the game.