The trigger that sets off Jacob deGrom's full competitive fury, in the eyes of his pitching coach, Dave Eiland, seems to be the arrival of a runner at third base. As Eiland related last summer in the midst of deGrom's incredible season of zeros, the pitcher's face hardens whenever a runner somehow gets past Levels 1 and 2 of the deGrom challenge -- first and second base -- and then threatens home from 90 feet.
As deGrom's expression transforms, the difficulty for the hitter climbs significantly. Opponents hit .202 against deGrom last season when there were no runners on base; when there was a runner on third, they hit .