The Degrom Hall of Fame Controversy: A Case Study Worth Digging Into

The Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night saw a special showdown: Aaron Judge, who nearly secured a Hall of Fame spot, took on Jacob deGrom, who deserved the honor. When the 36-year-old right-hand pitcher shines in New York again after years — as dominant as he did in the Mets — if he stays healthy (though that assumption is more out of reach than Judge's home run), he may even knock on the door of Cooper sooner than Mr. 99.

In the contest, which ended with a nine-inning bye from rising Yankees star Jasson Domínguez, the two superstars met three times: Judge was selected for the first shot, flew out after a marathon clash in the second round, and went out with a powerful ball in the third round. By the time Judge hit the game in the eighth game, De Grom had already retired with 103 goals. After the game, Judge said of his rival: "He's one of the greatest pitchers of our time. "

After two Tommy John surgeries and countless injuries, De Grom confirmed this assessment with facts - when the ball of stitches woke up in his right hand, he was always a historic presence. Wednesday night's performance sent Yankee fans back to the days when "De Grom Day" swept Citi Field, when his starters were as breathtaking as a younger version of Dwight Gooden. In seven innings against the Yankees, he had nine strikeouts and just one catch, three hits, and would have taken away the winning shot had it not been for Cody Bellinger's seven-inning tie two-point shot. The two-time Cy Young Award winner has a 2.33 ERA in 10 games this season, 62 strikeouts in 58 innings and just 12 RBIs, and would have been 5-1 if it weren't for that home run.

Opponents focus on his 88-58 career record — a point of contention that has become the biggest point of contention in the context of the general shrinking wins of modern baseball starting pitchers. Dizzy Dean, the Hall of Fame record holder for the lowest number of wins a starting pitcher, has 150 wins, while Sandy Koufax, who has prematurely aged due to an elbow injury, has been selected with 165 wins. But the stats don't lie: a career ERA of 2.51 (the 6th lowest in modern baseball history), a strikeout return ratio of 5.40 (the first in history), a two-time National League Awards, a single-season ERA of 1.70 (2018), a three-time strikeout winner, and a four-time self-blame rate leader. In an era when the average number of pitchers used by the starting pitcher is at an all-time low and the number of completed pitches is almost extinct, the gold content of the traditional number of wins has long been diluted. If De Grom can continue his current form for another 3-5 seasons and accumulate more milestones, Hall of Fame voters may re-weigh the scales of "quality" and "quantity".

What is even more cherished at this moment is the moment of witnessing the legend: De Grom, who has returned to New York from the clouds of injury, and played the pinnacle duel with Judge with familiar dominance. The collision of greatness and greatness is the most moving narrative of baseball.