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Jacob deGrom completely dominates the Cardinals over eight innings

New York Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom turned in one of the best starts of the season Thursday against the St. Louis Cardinals. deGrom completely dominated the club over eight innings, allowing just one hit and striking out 11.

The start was so good, that only Corey Kluber has been better this year.

To make things more impressive, the one hit deGrom allowed came in the first inning. After striking out Kolten Wong to open the game, deGrom gave up a single against Matt Carpenter. He then proceeded to set down the next 23 hitters he faced.

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By the end of the eighth inning, deGrom had thrown 104 pitches. While he probably could have come out for the ninth, manager Terry Collins opted to turn to Jeurys Familia. It's worth noting that deGrom has not exceeded 105 pitches this season, so that may have been the reason he was pulled. Last year, however, deGrom exceeded 110 pitches in five of his 22 starts, so he's shown that stamina before.

After a couple rough starts in late April, deGrom seems to be rounding into form. His strikeout rate is slightly down, but he's still nearly punched out a batter per inning. deGrom posted a strong walk rate last season, but seems to have an even better grasp on his control in 2015.

He's been hurt a bit by the long ball, but that could be small sample randomness. deGrom did a fine job limiting home runs last season, so that's certainly possible.

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For the Mets, it must be a welcome sign. deGrom emerged as the team's surprise ace while Matt Harvey recovered from Tommy John surgery last season. With both players living up to expectations, the team's strong start might be for real.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik