A tweet Sunday alleged that Jacob deGrom uses foreign substances, and the New York Mets ace's teammates rushed to his defense in a chain of replies.
During Saturday's start against the San Diego Padres, deGrom appeared to touch his glove in what the Twitter user deemed a suspicious way, common among pitchers who keep pine tar or other substances in their gloves.
Jacob Decheats or since it’s not Bauer or Cole, we don’t care? Lol pic.twitter.com/XWG5lK99GV
— Dave (@DoyersDave) June 6, 2021
Mets catcher Tomas Nido caught wind of the tweet and defended the two-time Cy Young winner, saying hitters would be "lucky to even foul tip the ball" if deGrom used anything illegal.
Nido then tagged fellow Mets catcher James McCann, starting a chain of replies by deGrom's teammates. The most recent of those is from outfielder Kevin Pillar, who tagged team owner Steve Cohen.
I’d bet my paycheck on it that he doesn’t use anything. He might be from a different planet though 🤔 cc: @StevenACohen2
— Kevin Pillar (@KPILLAR4) June 7, 2021
Through nine starts, the 32-year-old deGrom looks to be the front-runner for his third Cy Young Award, authoring a sterling 0.62 ERA and 1.02 FIP.
Though deGrom is one of many pitchers thriving in a season of suppressed offensive numbers, Major League Baseball is reportedly preparing to crack down on more pitchers for using illegal substances to aid with grip and boost spin rates.
