deGrom won't pitch Game 4 after heavy workload in opener

Jacob deGrom left quite an impression in his postseason debut after besting Clayton Kershaw, but fans may have to wait longer to see what he has in store for an encore performance.

New York Mets manager Terry Collins said the righty threw so many pitches in the club's 3-1 victory in the series opener, he may not pitch again until a potential Game 5 of the NLDS with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

deGrom, who broke multiple strikeout records in Game 1, threw 121 pitches over seven scoreless frames, which is one shy of his career high.

Noah Syndergaard is scheduled to start Game 2 on Saturday, and Matt Harvey will follow up in Game 3 back at Citi Field on Monday. Southpaw Steven Matz has declared himself healthy enough to pitch in a potential Game 4 on Tuesday, leaving deGrom as the primary option to close out the series if needed on Thursday back in Los Angeles.