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= = Amateur career = =
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DeGrom attended Calvary Christian Academy in Ormond Beach , Florida , where he played for the school 's baseball and basketball teams . As a senior , the Florida Sports Writers Association named deGrom to the All @-@ Florida second team . He also played American Legion baseball , where he was noticed by the coaches for the Stetson Hatters , the college baseball team of Stetson University .
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DeGrom was not selected in the Major League Baseball ( MLB ) Draft out of high school . He enrolled at Stetson University and joined their baseball team where he played exclusively as a shortstop during his freshman and sophomore seasons . Though he was considered a good fielder with a strong throwing arm , deGrom was a light hitter , with a career .263 batting average . He made his first appearance as a pitcher in May 2009 . In the summer of 2009 , between his sophomore and junior years , deGrom received an invitation to play collegiate summer baseball for the DeLand Suns of the Florida Collegiate Summer League , which he declined after discovering that they wanted him to play as a pitcher .
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When deGrom returned to Stetson that fall , the team used him as a relief pitcher , filling the role of their closer , in addition to playing shortstop . He quickly became one of Stetson 's best pitchers , so the team moved deGrom into their starting rotation midway through the season . In addition to a fastball , deGrom learned to throw a changeup and a slider . MLB scouts began to take notice of deGrom when he pitched against Chris Sale of Florida Gulf Coast University . In that game , deGrom hit his only home run of the season . He made 12 starts for the Hatters , pitching to a 4 – 5 win – loss record with a 4 @.@ 48 earned run average .
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= = Professional career = =
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= = = Minor League Baseball = = =
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The New York Mets selected deGrom in the ninth round as a pitcher , with the 272nd overall selection , of the 2010 MLB Draft . He signed with the Mets , receiving a $ 95 @,@ 000 signing bonus . The Mets assigned deGrom to the Kingsport Mets of the Rookie @-@ level Appalachian League , where he made six starts before he was diagnosed with a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament ( UCL ) in his pitching elbow . He attempted to rehabilitate his arm for four months , but underwent Tommy John surgery to repair the UCL in October . He did not pitch in 2011 while he recovered from the surgery . While rehabilitating , deGrom worked on his changeup with Johan Santana .
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DeGrom pitched for the Savannah Sand Gnats of the Class A South Atlantic League and the St. Lucie Mets of the Class A @-@ Advanced Florida State League in 2012 , finishing the year with a 2 @.@ 43 ERA in 19 games started . In 2013 , he began the season with St. Lucie , but was promoted to the Binghamton Mets of the Class AA Eastern League after two starts due to injuries to Binghamton 's Luis Mateo and Cory Mazzoni . He received a promotion to the Las Vegas 51s of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League in June after the Mets promoted Zack Wheeler and Carlos Torres to the major leagues and traded Collin McHugh . He had a combined 4 @.@ 51 ERA for the season , due to a broken finger suffered during the offseason , which altered the way he threw the ball .
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The Mets added deGrom to their 40 @-@ man roster on November 20 , 2013 , to protect him from being eligible in the Rule 5 draft . During the offseason , deGrom improved his mechanics , and learned to throw a curveball . He began the 2014 season with Las Vegas , and had a 4 – 0 win – loss record and a 2 @.@ 58 ERA in his first seven games started .
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= = = Major League Baseball = = =
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= = = = 2014 = = = =
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The Mets promoted deGrom to the major leagues on May 12 , 2014 , after Gonzalez Germen was placed on the disabled list . The Mets planned to use deGrom in relief , but an injury to Dillon Gee required the Mets to insert him into their starting rotation . DeGrom made his major league debut on May 15 against cross @-@ town rival New York Yankees in Citi Field . He faced fellow rookie Chase Whitley , also making his MLB debut . He pitched seven innings , allowing only one run and striking out six , but the Yankees shut out the Mets and won 1 – 0 . DeGrom also collected his first MLB hit in the game in his first career at bat . It was the first hit by a Mets pitcher in the 2014 season ending an 0 @-@ for @-@ 64 hitless streak , the worst collective mark by a pitching staff to begin a season in MLB history .
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DeGrom compiled four quality starts in his first four MLB starts , but did not record a win in any of them . On July 8 , deGrom pitched seven scoreless innings and recorded 11 strikeouts in giving the Mets their 4,000th franchise victory . Along with Steve Cishek of the Miami Marlins , deGrom was named the National League 's ( NL ) Co @-@ Player of the Week for the period of July 21 to July 27 after allowing only one earned run in two starts that week . He was named the NL Rookie of the Month for July . On August 11 , deGrom went on the disabled list with rotator cuff tendinitis . Rafael Montero was called up on August 12 in deGrom 's place . On August 23 , Montero was re @-@ sent back to the 51s to make room for deGrom coming off the disabled list .
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On September 15 , 2014 , deGrom faced the Marlins and struck out his first eight batters , tying the MLB record . Near the end of the season , deGrom was shut down for the year , ending his season with a 9 – 6 record , a 2 @.@ 69 ERA and 144 strikeouts . DeGrom won the 2014 Sporting News NL Rookie of the Year Award and was named the NL Rookie of the Year by the Baseball Writers ' Association of America , ( the first by a Met since Dwight Gooden in 1984 ) receiving first place votes on 26 of the 30 ballots .
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= = = = 2015 = = = =
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DeGrom and Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers were selected as NL Co @-@ Players of the Week for the week ending June 7 , 2015 . He began the 2015 season with a 8 – 6 win @-@ loss record and a 2 @.@ 30 ERA through the end of June , and was named to the NL roster in the 2015 MLB All @-@ Star Game . During the All @-@ Star Game , deGrom struck out the three batters he faced on ten pitches , becoming the first person to do so since pitch counts were recorded . DeGrom pitched to a 14 – 8 record with a 2 @.@ 54 ERA and a 0 @.@ 99 walks plus hits per inning pitched ratio during the 2015 season .
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Starting Game 1 of the 2015 NLDS , he allowed no runs and five hits over seven innings pitched and tied a Mets franchise postseason record with 13 strikeouts ( set by Tom Seaver , Game 1 of the 1973 NLCS ) . DeGrom won the deciding Game 5 with a six @-@ inning , two @-@ run effort . In Game 3 of the 2015 NLCS against the Chicago Cubs , deGrom pitched seven @-@ inning game , allowing just two runs on four hits , one walk and seven strikeouts , putting the Mets ahead 3 – 0 and within one game of their first World Series appearance since the 2000 Subway Series . DeGrom started Game 2 of the 2015 World Series on October 28 ; he allowed four runs on six hits and three walks over five innings and took the loss as the Royals went up , 2 – 0 , in the series .
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Following the season , deGrom received a Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award as the best defensive player statistically at his position in Major League Baseball .
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= = = = 2016 = = = =
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Not yet eligible for salary arbitration , the Mets renewed deGrom 's contract for the 2016 season with a $ 607 @,@ 000 salary , a raise from the $ 556 @,@ 875 they paid him for the previous season . DeGrom refused to sign the contract in protest , but stated that he was open to negotiating a contract extension .
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= = Personal life = =
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DeGrom is from DeLeon Springs , Florida . He was raised by his parents , Tony , an AT & T lineman , and Tammy , a customer service representative for a credit card rewards program . Tony built a batting cage in the backyard for his son to practice . He credits his father for his quiet intensity and humility . He has two sisters , Sarah and Jessica .
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DeGrom met his wife , Stacey , shortly after high school . They were married in November 2014 , and live in DeLand , Florida . They have a Morkie , and welcomed their first son in April 2016 .
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DeGrom is known for his long hair , which he began to grow out while at Stetson . His starts with the Mets led to the trending hashtag on Twitter of " # hairwego " .
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= Battle of Merville Gun Battery =
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The Battle of Merville Gun Battery occurred on 6 June 1944 , as part of Operation Tonga , part of the Normandy landings , during the Second World War . Allied intelligence believed the Merville Gun Battery was composed of heavy @-@ calibre guns that could threaten the British landings at Sword Beach , only 8 miles ( 13 km ) away .
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The 9th Parachute Battalion , part of the 3rd Parachute Brigade attached to 6th Airborne Division , was given the objective of destroying the battery . However , when the battalion arrived over Normandy , their parachute descent was dispersed over a large area , so instead of over 600 men , only 150 with no heavy weapons or equipment arrived at the battalion assembly point . Regardless , they pressed home their attack and succeeded in capturing the battery , only to discover that the guns were of a lower caliber than expected [ Czech @-@ manufacture 100mm ] . However , these still had the range ( over 8000 metres ) to hit targets on Sword Beach and in Ouistreham . Using what explosives they had been able to recover , the surviving 75 men tried to disable the guns .
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When the British paratroopers had withdrawn , two of the guns were put back into action by the Germans . Another attack the next day by British Commandos failed to recapture the battery , which remained under German control until 17 August , when the German Army started to withdraw from the area .
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= = Background = =
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On 6 June 1944 , the British 6th Airborne Division was given the task of securing the left flank of the Allied seaborne landings . One of their objectives was the destruction of the Merville Gun Battery . Allied planners had judged from the size of the concrete gun emplacements that the guns must be around 150 mm in calibre . If so , the guns would have a range of about 8 miles ( 13 km ) and could threaten Sword Beach , to the west of Ouistreham , where the 3rd British Infantry Division were due to land later that day .
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= = = British forces = = =
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The unit assigned to destroy the battery was the 9th Parachute Battalion , part of the 3rd Parachute Brigade , commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Terence Otway . The battalion 's normal complement of 600 men was supported by a section of sappers from the Royal Engineers , eight Airspeed Horsa glider loads transporting Jeeps and trailers , and stores including explosives , an anti @-@ tank gun and flamethrowers . Three of the gliders , transporting 50 volunteers , were to carry out a coup de main landing onto the position to coincide with the ground assault . In April 1944 , the force was taken to Walbury Hill in Berkshire , where over seven days the Royal Engineers had built a full @-@ scale replica of the battery , including obstacles and barbed wire fences . The following five days were spent holding briefings and getting acquainted with the layout of the battery . They carried out nine practice assaults , four of them at night . Due to the nature of the mission , the battalion was given additional medical support from No. 3 Section 224th ( Parachute ) Field Ambulance . Another unit that would be present during the attack but not directly involved was A Company of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion . This company was tasked to provide covering fire for the 9th Battalion 's approach to and withdrawal from the battery . The assault had to be completed and the battalion clear of the position by 05 : 00 , when the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Arethusa would open fire on the battery in an attempt to destroy it with naval gunfire .
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= = = Battery = = =
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The Merville Battery was composed of four 6 @-@ foot @-@ thick ( 1 @.@ 8 m ) steel @-@ reinforced concrete gun casemates , built by the Todt Organisation . Each was designed to protect First World War @-@ vintage Czech M.14 / 19 100 mm guns . Other buildings on the site included a command bunker , a building to accommodate the men , and ammunition magazines . During a visit on 6 March 1944 , to inspect the defences , Field Marshal Erwin Rommel ordered the builders to work faster , and by May 1944 , the last two casemates were completed .
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The battery was defended by a 20 mm anti @-@ aircraft gun and several machine guns in 15 gun positions , all enclosed in an area 700 by 500 yards ( 640 by 460 m ) surrounded by two barbed wire obstacles 15 feet ( 4 @.@ 6 m ) thick by 5 feet ( 1 @.@ 5 m ) high , which also acted as the exterior border for a 100 @-@ yard @-@ deep ( 91 m ) minefield . Another obstacle was an anti @-@ tank ditch covering any approach from the nearby coast . The original commander of the battery , Hauptmann Wolter , was killed during a Royal Air Force bombing raid on 19 May 1944 . He was replaced by Oberleutnant Raimund Steiner , who commanded 50 engineers and 80 artillerymen from the 1st Battery , Artillery Regiment 1716 , part of the 716th Static Infantry Division .
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The battery had a complement of some one hundred men in all . These were chiefly gunnery crews , of course , such as my team , but also included staff officers and their assistants , medical , cooks , observation teams , maintenance teams and guards with side arms . It was intended that the battery could remain under siege for up to three months , with sufficient rations and generator fuel kept on site for this event ; the water supply came from an aquifer and could not be interrupted . It was a remarkable structure , and it featured prominently in propaganda of the time …
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= = Assault = =
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Just after midnight on 6 June , the 9th Parachute Battalion 's advance party landed with the brigade 's pathfinders , and reached the battalion assembly area without any problems . While some men remained to mark out the company positions , the battalion 's second in command , Major George Smith , and a reconnaissance party left to scout the battery . At the same time , Royal Air Force Lancaster bombers started their bombing run , which completely missed the battery , their bombs landing further to the south . The pathfinders in the meantime were having problems . Those who had arrived at the correct drop zone found their Eureka beacons had been damaged when they landed , and in the smoke and debris left over from the bombing , their marker lights could not be seen by the pilots of the transport aircraft . The main body of the 9th Parachute Battalion and their gliders were to land at drop zone ' V ' , located between the battery and Varaville from 01 : 00 . However , the battalion was scattered , with a number of paratroopers landing a considerable distance from the designated drop zone . Lieutenant Colonel Otway landed with the rest of his " stick " 400 yards ( 370 m ) away from the drop zone at a farmhouse being used as a command post by a German battalion ; after a brief fire @-@ fight , they helped other scattered paratroopers , and reached the drop zone at 01 : 30 . By 02 : 50 , only 150 men had arrived at the battalion 's assembly point with 20 Bangalore torpedoes and a machine gun . The mortars , anti @-@ tank gun , mine detectors , jeeps , sappers and field ambulance section were all missing .
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Aware of the time constraints , Otway decided he could wait no longer , and the reduced battalion headed for the battery and joined up with Major Smith 's reconnaissance party just outside the village of Gonneville en Auge . The reconnaissance party had cut a way through the barbed wire , and marked four routes through the minefield . Otway divided his men into four assault groups , and settled down to await the arrival of the three gliders .
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In England , one of the gliders never left the ground , as its tow rope had snapped on taxiing . The other two gliders , unable to locate the battery , did not land where expected . On their run in , both gliders were hit by anti @-@ aircraft fire . One landed around 2 miles ( 3 @.@ 2 km ) away , the other at the edge of the minefield . The troops from this glider became involved in a fire fight with German troops heading to reinforce the battery garrison .
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Otway launched the assault as soon as the first glider overshot the battery , ordering the explosives to be detonated to form two paths through the outer perimeter through which the paratroopers attacked . The defenders were alerted by the explosions , and opened fire , inflicting heavy casualties ; only four attackers survived to reach Casemate Four , which they disabled by firing into apertures and throwing grenades into air vents . The other casemates were cleared with fragmentation and white phosphorus grenades , as the crews had neglected to lock the doors leading into the battery . During the bombing raid , the battery 's guns had been moved inside the casemates and the steel doors left open for ventilation . During the battle , 22 Germans were killed and a similar number made prisoners of war . The rest of the garrison escaped undetected by hiding in the underground bunkers .
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Steiner was not present during the bombing , but at a command bunker in Franceville @-@ Plage . After the raid , he set out for the battery , but was unable to gain entry due to the volume of fire from the British paratroopers . At the same time , a reconnaissance patrol from an army Flak unit with a half @-@ track mounting a large anti @-@ aircraft gun arrived . The crew had intended to seek cover at the position , but instead used the gun to engage the paratroopers .
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With the battery in their hands , but no sappers or explosives , the British gathered together what plastic explosives they had been issued for use with their Gammon bombs to try to destroy the guns . By this time , Steiner had returned to Franceville @-@ Plage , and directed his regiment 's 2nd and 3rd Batteries to fire onto the Merville Battery .
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= = Aftermath = =
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Just before 05 : 00 , the battalion 's survivors , just 75 men of the 150 who had set out , left the battery and headed for their secondary objective , the village of La Plein . The battalion , being too weak , only managed to liberate around half of the village , and had to await the arrival of the 1st Commando Brigade later in the day to complete its capture .
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After the British had withdrawn , the Germans reoccupied the battery position . Steiner was unable to see Sword Beach from his command bunker , so even though he was able to get two of his guns back in action , he was unable to direct accurate fire onto the landings . However , observers with the 736th Infantry Regiment , holding out at La Brèche , were able to direct his guns until that position was neutralised .
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On 7 June , the battery was assaulted again by two troops of commandos from No. 3 Commando , part of the 1st Special Service Brigade . The attack in daylight was repulsed with heavy losses to the commandos . As they withdrew , they were engaged by the battery 's guns firing over open sights . The British never succeeded in completely destroying the battery , and it remained under German control until 17 August , when the German Army started to withdraw from France .
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= St Caffo 's Church , Llangaffo =
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St Caffo 's Church , Llangaffo is a 19th @-@ century church , in the south of Anglesey , north Wales , about 5 miles ( 8 @.@ 0 km ) from the county town , Llangefni . It was constructed in 1846 to replace the previous medieval church in the village of Llangaffo . The new building includes a number of monuments from the old church , and has a spire which is a prominent local landmark . The churchyard has part of a stone cross dating from the 9th or 10th century , and some gravestones from the 9th to 11th centuries . It is dedicated to St Caffo , a 6th @-@ century martyr who was killed in the vicinity .
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The church is still in use as part of the Church in Wales , one of four churches in a combined parish . It is a Grade II listed building , a designation given to " buildings of special interest , which warrant every effort being made to preserve them " , in particular because it is regarded as " a mid 19th @-@ century rural church , consistently articulated and detailed in an Early English style " .
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= = History and location = =
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The date of first construction of a church in Llangaffo ( a village in Anglesey about 5 miles ( 8 @.@ 0 km ) south of the county town of Llangefni ) is uncertain . The village takes its name from the church : the Welsh word llan originally meant " enclosure " and then " church " , and " -gaffo " is a modified form of the saint 's name . St Caffo , a 6th @-@ century Christian , was a companion of St Cybi and was martyred by shepherds in the vicinity of what is now Llangaffo , perhaps in revenge for his brother Gildas insulting Maelgwn Gwynedd , the local ruler . It is thought that there may have at one point been a monastery in this location , known as " Merthyr Caffo " : merthyr is the Welsh word for " martyr " , and in place names means a building erected near a saint 's grave .
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The present building , which is in the north @-@ eastern part of the village on the south @-@ eastern side of the B4419 road , was erected in 1846 alongside the churchyard to a design by the Sheffield @-@ based architects Weightman and Hadfield . It replaced an older church , which had stood on an adjoining outcrop of rock until it was demolished . It was described by the clergyman and antiquarian Harry Longueville Jones ( writing in 1846 , as the new church was being constructed ) as a " very small and unimportant edifice " ; he also noted that it was the only medieval building remaining in the parish .
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The 19th @-@ century church is still in use and belongs to the Church in Wales . It is one of four churches in the combined benefice of Llanfihangel Ysgeifiog ( St Michael 's Church , Gaerwen ) with Llangristiolus ( St Cristiolus 's Church ) with Llanffinan ( St Ffinan 's Church ) with Llangaffo . It is within the deanery of Malltraeth , the archdeaconry of Bangor and the Diocese of Bangor . As of 2012 , the vicar of the four churches is Emlyn Williams , assisted by a curate ( E. R. Roberts ) . Williams was appointed in 2007 ; before that , the position had been vacant for 20 years despite many attempts by the Church in Wales to fill it . Services in Welsh are held every Sunday , either Holy Communion or Morning Prayer ; there are no midweek services .
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Edward Wynn ( 1618 – 1669 ) was rector here from 1658 ; he later became Chancellor of Bangor Cathedral , and is buried at the church . James Williams ( 1790 – 1872 ) was the son of John Williams , rector of St Caffo 's . He succeeded his father when he resigned in 1821 , and later became Chancellor of Bangor Cathedral .
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= = Architecture and fittings = =
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St Caffo 's is built of rubble masonry dressed with limestone , in an early English style ( a style of architecture used between about 1180 and 1275 , typically using narrow pointed windows and arches ) . The roof is made of slate . The tower , at the west end , has buttresses at the corners and is topped with a broach spire , which is a prominent local landmark . Entrance is through an arched doorway in the north side of the tower . The chancel , at the east end of the church , is smaller than the nave in both height and width ; there is a transept on the north side of the chancel . The nave has lancet windows , and there is a further lancet window on the south side of the chancel . The church 's east window is set in a pointed arch and has three lights ( sections of window separated by mullions ) .
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Inside the church , the sanctuary at the east end is raised above the chancel by one step ; the floor of the sanctuary and the reredos behind the altar are made from encaustic tiles . Fittings include a circular decorated 12th @-@ century font and a 17th @-@ century pulpit with carved decorative panels . A 1937 survey by the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire recorded that the church owned a silver cup and a paten dated 1736 . The transept has a number of memorials dating from the 17th century ( including one to Edward Wynn ) , and a stone from the early 7th century inscribed with .. VI / RNIN / FILIUS / CUURIS / CINI / ERE / XIT / HUNC / LAPI / DEM . The stone , which is set in the wall , originally came from Newborough , Anglesey . The church porch houses part of a cross head in the shape of a wheel , dating from the 9th or 10th century ; part of the rest of the cross is in the churchyard , but it has suffered significant weather damage with most of the patterns worn away .
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The oldest graves are to the north of the church , which is unusual : ordinarily the southern part of the churchyard would be used first for burials , with the northern part remaining unconsecrated unless and until extra space for graves was required . The path between the road and the church has sunken , which may partly be explained by the medieval custom of burying the dead on top of each other . One author has suggested that the mound alongside the path might indicate that the church is located in the site of a Bronze Age settlement .
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The churchyard has seven gravestones that were discovered in the walls of the previous church . Six of them date from between the 9th and 11th centuries , and the seventh is from the 12th or 13th century . The doorway from the old church , dating from the 15th century , has been reused as an entrance to the churchyard . A carved stone human head , from the 12th century , has been inserted into the north wall of the churchyard . A war memorial in the shape of a Celtic cross remembers those who died during the First and Second World Wars .
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= = Assessment = =
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The church is a Grade II listed building – the lowest of the three grades of listing , designating " buildings of special interest , which warrant every effort being made to preserve them " . It was given this status on 30 January 1968 and Cadw ( the Welsh Assembly Government body responsible for the built heritage of Wales ) states that it has been listed because it is " a mid 19th @-@ century rural church , consistently articulated and detailed in an Early English style . "
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