Former Stetson Hatter Jacob deGrom took the mound Tuesday night for the New York Mets in game three of the National League Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. He pitched seven innings, had seven strikeouts and allowed two home runs in a 5-2 victory for the Mets, moving them to within one win of a berth into the 2015 World Series.

deGrom got off to a shaky start in the first inning, allowing three hits, including a home run by Cubs rookie left fielder Kyle Schwarber. After the rough start, he was able to keep Chicago at bay on their home field, allowing just one other run, a home run by Jorge Solar. Ironically, both Schwarber and Solar played for the Daytona Cubs in 2014.

Needless to say, deGrom’s success on the field has gained him a significant amount of attention from baseball fans, and members of the media, across the country. As one National League scout told ESPN, “You don’t have to convince me. This guy’s got a chance to be special.”

deGrom’s Stetson heritage was not ignored during the broadcast of the game. TBS gathered a lot of background information in a pair of phone conversations between Ernie Johnson, the play-by-play commentator for TBS, and Stetson baseball coach Pete Dunn. The national viewing audience was treated to interesting factual tidbits about deGrom and Stetson University throughout the game.

Game four in the series is scheduled for Wednesday night. A Mets victory would secure a spot for deGrom and his teammates in this year’s World Series. If the Cubs are able to stave off elimination, the NLCS would continue with a fifth game in Chicago on Thursday before returning to New York for games six and seven this weekend. Not even Doc Brown knows what the future holds, even on this, the 21st of October, 2015.

by David Baker and staff