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PHILADELPHIA — For the first time since Oct. 8, 2022 — the lone Mets wild-card victory over the Padres that postseason — it’s deGrom Day.

Nearly three years later, Jacob deGrom will step on the same Citi Field rubber that he climbed atop and reached heights that few, if any, pitchers have ever reached.

“That’s his mound,” longtime teammate Pete Alonso said before the Mets’ 6-4 loss to the Phillies on Thursday night at Citizens Bank Park. “Even though he’s somewhere else or with another team, that’s Jake’s mound.”

The former Mets superstar, who is starring if not superstarring with the Rangers, returns Friday to Queens for the first time since leaving in free agency after the 2022 season.

DeGrom has not faced the Mets since signing a five-year, $185 million pact with Texas, leaving a legacy of uncommon domination and too-common fragility.

For nine seasons with the Mets, deGrom was arguably the best and inarguably the most overpowering pitcher of his generation.

The right-hander, who came almost out of nowhere to debut in 2014 and capture the NL Rookie of the Year Award, began to push the limits of what a throwing arm can do.

A fastball that averaged 93.5 mph in ’14 was pumped to 95.2 mph by 2017.

Then 96.

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Then 96.9.

Then 98.6.

Then 99.2.

The corresponding results were overwhelming.

He won NL Cy Young Awards in 2018 and 2019.

He has made five All-Star teams.

His career 153 ERA+ as a starter trails only two pitchers in history: Clayton Kershaw (155) and Pedro Martinez (154).

His career 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings is the second best ever among qualified pitchers (behind Chris Sale’s 11.1).

But the series of injuries began in 2021 that limited him to 26 starts in his final two frustrating Mets seasons.

Combined with the 2023 Tommy John surgery that took away most of that season and most of last season, the only factor that could hold him back from the Hall of Fame is durability.

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Not in Alonso’s mind.

“In my mind, he’s a Hall of Famer,” Alonso said before finishing a series at the Phillies. “When he’s healthy, he’s probably one of the best to ever do it.

“What he can bring on a start-by-start basis, it’s really special. I’m glad that he’s healthy this year. He’s had a stellar year. I want him to continue to stay healthy so he can finish out his career and go to Cooperstown.”

This season has looked different for the 37-year-old deGrom, who has acknowledged he is dialing his velocity down in an effort to stay on the field.

He will receive Cy Young votes but will not win with a 2.78 ERA — downright human compared to the 1.08 mark he posted in 15 starts in 2021.

He has averaged 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings, down from the 14.3 he blazed through in ’21 and ’22.

Maybe this version of deGrom will be similar to the one Alonso used to see at Port St. Lucie in March.

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“Hopefully, [Friday is] going to go a lot better than those did because usually those were like my first, second or third at-bats after not seeing a pitch for four or five months, and the ball looks like a Tic Tac,” Alonso said.

Alonso called the publicly reserved deGrom a “great teammate” and “great guy” who always wanted to be his best and who inspired teammates to be their best.

In what is a high compliment inside the game, Alonso said deGrom is a “baseball player” — not just a pitcher but a terrific athlete who would call himself a failed shortstop.

Often pitching for noncompetitive Mets teams and giving fans a reason to tune in every five days, deGrom was beloved by fans, whose reception for him years later will be curious.

“Just because he plays for another team doesn’t mean he won’t be a Met,” Alonso said of deGrom, who will be opposed by top prospect Jonah Tong. “Obviously, he plays for the Rangers … [but] you can’t take away history and what he’s meant to not just this fan base but the organization and the game of baseball.”