Anthony McCarron, SNY.tv | Twitter |

After the season Jacob deGrom had in 2018, part of the narrative around him - beyond the contract extension drama and its $137.5-million conclusion, beyond bringing another Cy Young Award into Met lore - was this:

Can he do something that magical again? And this: Is it fair to even ask, considering how it was one of the best pitching seasons of the modern era?

Even if he does not duplicate it, deGrom has established himself as one of the finest pitchers on the planet, maybe the best. So even if he doesn't keep his ERA microscopic and doesn't keep hitters flailing, a follow-up season to history could still be great.

But what if deGrom can be that good again? Opening Day against Max Scherzer and the Nationals in Washington, D.C. certainly didn't do anything to squash the idea as the owners of the last three National League Cy Young Awards (Scherzer won in 2016-17) clashed.

So bring on this deGrom encore. It could be quite a ride again every fifth day.

In a big-deal moment, deGrom was sublime once again, offering a dazzling season debut that saw him throw six scoreless innings in the Mets' 2-0 victory over the Nationals. You can cherry-pick pitches from his outing that were so jaw-dropping that anything seems possible, even a repeat of a 1.70 ERA.

Take that 3-and-2 changeup in the sixth inning to Juan Soto, the Nats' impressive young slugger who seems poised to pile more big numbers onto his own breakout year. There was one out and speedy Trea Turner on third, the Mets leading by one run.

To get to this point, deGrom delivered this sequence of pitches to Soto, according to MLB.com's Gameday: four-seam fastball, slider, four-seam fastball, four-seam fastball, slider. Nice setup.

DeGrom unleashed an 88-mile-per-hour change that moved away from the lefty-swinging Soto and down. Soto flailed, a mostly-arms swing that had no chance. DeGrom then retired Ryan Zimmerman on the first pitch, getting him to fly out on a 96 mph fastball. Threat extinguished.

Mets manager Mickey Callaway told reporters in Washington that the changeup was "one of the filthiest pitches" he'd ever seen.

One pitch does not a season make, of course. But it's easy to predict there are more "Wow" moments coming from deGrom this year.

In all, deGrom allowed five hits - only one for extra bases - against the Nationals. He struck out 10 and walked only one over six innings. For a change, the Mets scored enough for deGrom to get the victory. Remember all that brilliance and just a 10-9 record last year?

It's true that few count wins as the pinnacle stat of pitcher evaluation nowadays, but 10-9?

Thursday, deGrom needed to be as sharp as he was because Scherzer was dynamite, as usual. The Nats' star allowed two runs and two hits in 7.2 innings, fanning 12 and walking three.

It's heartening to see deGrom thrive in the pageantry of Opening Day, against Scherzer, against the backdrop of the extension and the award. Not that there's reason to doubt a pitcher who's built himself up from college infielder to a pitcher who'd sit at the top of any rotation in baseball.

He's performed in the postseason (3-1 record, 2.88 ERA, all that brilliance against the Dodgers in 2015) and even the Midsummer Classic - remember how he struck out the side in the 2015 MLB All-Star Game.

Still, all the developments in his pitching life over the past year put considerable pressure on him, beyond whatever stress deGrom puts on himself to excel. That comes with a Cy and a contract with that many numbers on it.

Some players might try to justify a $137.5-million pact on every pitch. DeGrom seems savvy enough to know that's not possible. Or smart.

He just has to keep pitching the way he has for the last year. After Thursday's outing, it's not unreasonable to hold out hope that he really can duplicate magic.

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