Welcome to The Opener, where every weekday morning you’ll get a fresh, topical column to start your day from one of SI.com’s MLB writers.
Jacob deGrom has earned the privilege to be considered the preseason favorite for the National League Cy Young Award every year, much like Mike Trout has with the American League MVP. The Mets ace has done nothing to lose that status this season, leading the majors in ERA (0.68), FIP (1.02), WHIP (0.60), H/9 (3.8), K/9 (14.6), and pacing all starters in K% (46.1). Even given the contact-averse settings, those are video game numbers, most of which would set records if sustained over a full season.