KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jacob deGrom hadn’t given up more than six hits in a postseason start this year — and then the fifth inning of Game 2 happened.
It all came apart quickly for the right-hander, who had been able to sustain some fits of command issues in his previous playoff outings, but not against the Royals in a 7-1 loss in which deGrom was knocked out after five innings.
This wasn’t the first time deGrom didn’t have his best stuff in the postseason, but it was the first time he couldn’t overcome it. The right-hander was in position to become the first pitcher to win four games on the road in a single postseason.