Jacob deGrom Strikes Out Side with 10 Pitches, Makes MLB ASG History

A national audience got a good look at New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom on Tuesday night, watching wide-eyed as the 27-year-old and his spectacular cocker spaniel flow struck out three batters with 10 pitches in the sixth inning of the All-Star Game. 

That's correct: 10 pitches—one more than the lowest possible to strike out the side—was all deGrom required to send Oakland A's catcher Stephen Vogt, Cleveland Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis and Detroit Tigers shortstop Jose Iglesias trotting back to the dugout in quick succession.

The 2014 National League Rookie of the Year leaned on his signature pitch, a 96-98 mph fastball, to make short work of the inning. It's a terrifying weapon of his, made all the more vicious by its visual aesthetics. 

His throwing motion ends in a far-forward release, with the ball snapping out of his hand a long way down the mound. From there, some sort of dark magic takes over and gives it devilish action as it zips over the plate. It looks even faster than the radar reads, and the American League batters didn't even manage so much as a foul tip trying to hit it.

But lest he be pigeon-holed, deGrom decided to mix it up toward the end of the inning with some off-speed work. Presumably bored, he threw a couple of 80 mph sliders to Iglesias to finish things off and show fans some range.

Suffice it to say, deGrom's brief studio session left onlookers in awe:

After the game, the Mets ace told freelance writer Joe Lemire in a special to USA Today that he decided to let it rip because he knew he only had one inning to show his stuff.

"Because I knew I had just one inning, I was just letting it go," deGrom said. "[The inning] flew by so I hope I can be here again."

Lemire notes that deGrom's performance stands as the only three-strikeout, 10-pitch-or-fewer inning in recorded All-Star Game history (complete pitch-count tracking began in 1988).

So, yeah. Jacob deGrom is unconscious right now and playing for a team with an embarrassment of young talent in Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard in its pitching rotation. 

If you didn't know deGrom before, now you know. I think Biggie once said that.

Dan is on Twitter trying to make sense of what he just saw.