PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jacob deGrom didn’t take any chances of being lifted after a rain delay. Then David Peralta Jersey , the New York Mets ace finished off one of his best performances of the year.DeGrom pitched his first complete game of the season and lowered his major league-leading ERA to 1.71, leading the Mets over the Philadelphia Phillies 3-1 Saturday.It appeared deGrom’s day might be cut short due to a 41-minute rain delay that began in the middle of the fourth. Pitching coach Dave Eiland put a 45-minute limit on returning.DeGrom was so eager to resume that he walked toward the Philadelphia dugout to get a ball to warm up. He began to get loose on the mound before the umpires returned and prior to the Phillies’ grounds crew raking the field. He was forced to wait several minutes before throwing his final warmup toss as the field was being groomed.“I didn’t want to get close to that 45 minutes,” he said.DeGrom (8-7) kept boosting his NL Cy Young Award credentials and allowed only an unearned run, the result of his own error. He gave up seven hits, walked none, struck out nine and threw his hardest pitch, a 99 mph fastball, on the next-to-last of his 108 pitches.“Jacob has continued to prove why he is probably the front-runner at this point,” Mets manager Mickey Callaway said.DeGrom has thrown three complete games in 132 starts in the majors. He tossed a one-hitter at Citizens Bank Park on July 17, 2016, in a 5-0 win over the Phillies.Eiland approached deGrom prior to the ninth, and the right-hander was emphatic that he wanted to finish.“I definitely wanted it badly,” deGrom said. “I said http://www.diamondbacksfanproshop.com/authentic-deven-marrero-jersey , ‘I’m going out there.’ And he was fine with it.”DeGrom allowed a leadoff single to Rhys Hoskins in the fourth and then retired nine of 10 before the seventh, when Philadelphia got its lone run.DeGrom pulled within two starts of Dwight Gooden’s club record with his 22nd consecutive start allowing three runs or less. He also eclipsed 200 strikeouts, finishing with 204 for the season. The two-time All-Star entered second in the NL and sixth in the majors in Ks.“A lot of life on his fastball and best slider of the year,” catcher Devin Mesoraco said. “He had everything working. Very impressive.”Hoskins and Maikel Franco each doubled among their two hits for the Phillies, who began the day a half-game behind Atlanta in the NL East and leading the NL wild-card race.Jake Arrieta (9-8) allowed one run on four hits with six strikeouts and no walks in six strong innings.The Mets went ahead in the fourth when Jeff McNeil scored from third on Wilmer Flores‘ single that caromed off the third-base bag and into left field.New York took a 3-0 lead in the seventh with a pair of runs off Luis Garcia. Mesoraco homered and Amed Rosario scored on McNeil’s first career triple.The Phillies scored after Nick Williams and Franco hit consecutive one-out singles. Williams scored when deGrom couldn’t handle Rosario’s throw from short on a potential double-play on Odubel Herrera’s groundball.But the Mets got out of the inning when deGrom threw to first, where second baseman McNeil tagged out Herrera, who couldn’t get back to the bag after making a move toward second base.WHO’S ON FIRST?Phillies manager Gabe Kapler stuck with Carlos Santana at first base for defensive purposes despite Justin Bour’s strong career numbers against deGrom. Bour, acquired Aug. 10 from Miami to provide pop off the bench, entered 8 for 21 with two homers off deGrom.“I thought long and hard about Bour starting today,” Kapler said. “I really wanted to find a way to get (Bour) in there today, but with Jake Arrieta on the mound, it’s very important that we put our best defensive infield out there.”Bour struck out pinch hitting in the eighth. Santana was 1 for 4 with a strikeout.ROTATION CHANGESCallaway said RHP Corey Oswalt will move to the bullpen to keep the Mets with a five-man starting rotation. Oswalt is 2-2 with a 5.16 ERA in nine games, eight of which are starts.TRAINER’S ROOMMets: OF Jay Bruce (sore right hip) Clay Buchholz Jersey , on the DL since June 18, went 0 for 3 in a rehab outing with Single-A St. Lucie on Friday night.Phillies: RHP Jerad Eickhoff is scheduled to throw 75 pitches in a rehab outing with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday. Eickhoff has been out all season with a right lat strain.UP NEXTThe teams wrap up their five-game series on Sunday night at Bowman Field in Williamsport as part of the Little League Classic. Mets LHP Jason Vargas (2-8, 8.10) opposes Phillies RHP Nick Pivetta (7-9, 4.37). Vargas has struggled but had success against the Phillies the last time he faced them in 2011 with Seattle, pitching a three-hit shutout. ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Chris Woodward grew up wanting to be an architect or an engineer. He also had what he thought was a far-fetched dream of playing professional baseball.The kid from California who was a 54th-round draft pick and went on to play 12 major league seasons as a utility infielder for five teams is now the manager of one of the youngest teams in the majors. The Texas Rangers formally introduced Woodward as their new manager Monday, two days after hiring the Los Angeles Dodgers third base coach.“I share a common bond with most Rangers fans right now. This has actually taken away the sting of losing two World Series in a row,” Woodward said. “A lot of Rangers fans, obviously I feel your pain, it’s real, I get it. … I know how to get to the World Series. I’m going to instill a philosophy and a belief and a process in place to get us to that point.”Woodward’s introduction as a first-time big league manager came just more than a week after the Dodgers lost in the World Series for the second year in a row. Texas had been the last team to do that, in 2010 and 2011.The Rangers are coming off consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 2005-08. They lost 95 games this year when the focus turned the development of younger players — seven position players 25 or younger played at least 106 games.“Ideally what we’re putting in place here is the beginning of the foundation of a championship belief and culture,” Woodward said. “I don’t know how many wins we’re going to have next year but that championship belief Andrew Chafin Jersey , I believe, is powerful and it’s important to instill in these younger players now.”General manager Jon Daniels described the 42-year-old Woodward as an “energetic, winning manager to help us drive the culture here at the major league level. We’re all going to grow together, we’re all going to win together.”Daniels said the Rangers met with or spoke by phone with about 15 candidates after Jeff Banister was fired Sept. 21. Texas won AL West titles in Banister’s first two seasons (2014 and 2015).As a player, Woodward spent parts of 12 seasons (1999-2011) with Toronto, the New York Mets, Seattle, Atlanta and Boston. He hit .239 with 33 home runs and 191 RBIs while playing every position except pitcher and catcher. Woodward said he played for 11 different managers during his career, several of them first-year managers. He also played for Bobby Cox one season in Atlanta.His coaching career began as a minor league infield coordinator for the Mariners in 2013 and he joined their big league staff later that year. He spent the past three seasons on Dave Roberts’ staff in Los Angeles.Woodward said he wants to create a culture where players can learn and grow every single day. He said that is what he will place the most value on moving forward.“Process is a big one for me, I don’t like to think of results,” he said. “I think young kids, young players nowadays, they get caught up in results. … I want to drive home the process that’s going to get them the results.”Woodward said he had to fight every day as a “very average Darryl Strawberry Jersey , probably below average” player and has always had that same kind of energy as a coach. He said it important to relate that to players.The new manager will wear No. 8, and donned that jersey Monday for the first time in the big leagues. Yes, he was a fan of Cal Ripken Jr. growing up. But that was also the number of Woodward’s high school coach Tom Quinley, a Yankees fan who revered Yogi Berra (who also wore No. 8).“He passed away this past season, and it was very emotional for me,” Woodward said. “He took the role of many things for me, obviously as a mentor, as a father figure. He did everything for me. I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for him. … It’s pretty special to me, and obviously in honor of him.”