ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas Rangers standout pitcher Jacob deGrom faced the Baltimore Orioles without thoughts of a perfect game this time around. Instead, he delivered yet another notable performance in his road to recovery from elbow surgery.
“I keep saying it, I love watching him,” said Texas manager Bruce Bochy. “It’s good to see him just feel as good as he does.”
DeGrom managed to strike out six batters on Tuesday night and limited the Orioles to two runs over six innings. The two runs came from a homer by Gary Sánchez which barely made it over the wall. With the Rangers leading 7-2 as deGrom exited, the team ultimately secured a dominant 10-2 victory. Only six days prior, deGrom had been perfect through six innings against the same Orioles team before surrendering a hit in the eighth.
In what was his 17th start of the year, it marked the 14th consecutive game where deGrom pitched at least five innings while keeping two runs or fewer off the board. This remarkable streak is a franchise record and is currently unmatched in the major leagues this season.
“Honestly, I wish I could’ve gone a little deeper,” deGrom reflected. “The offense went out there and put up runs, and even after I gave up two, they kept piling more on. All around, it was just a good win.”
Previously, the Rangers had gone into extra innings in their past four games, equaling a club record but losing three, including the opening game against the Orioles prior to deGrom’s start.
“This guy is special,” Bochy praised. “He brings a sense of confidence to the team.”
Though the Orioles did threaten early, with Ryan O’Hearn drawing a leadoff walk in the second inning and Cedric Mullins bunt-singling in the third, their attempts were quickly thwarted. Mullins was caught stealing, and Sánchez’s subsequent homer in the fourth inning came after a near-miss on a popup and Gunnar Henderson’s close stolen base.
“There was a popup we were inches from catching, and Jonah (Heim, the catcher) was inches from throwing that guy out,” Bochy explained. “And then Jacob was Jacob, he settled down and gave us six solid innings.”
After missing substantial time in his initial seasons with the Rangers because of a second Tommy John surgery, deGrom has accumulated over 101 innings this year. This marks his first 100+ inning season since 2019, a year in which he was awarded his second consecutive Cy Young while with the New York Mets.
“When you’re sidelined that long, what you want to do is compete and to be back out there pitching,” deGrom expressed.
Limited to only 41 innings over nine starts after signing his lucrative contract with Texas, deGrom excelled in 2023 before requiring surgery, then spent most of last year in rehabilitation. He showcased a 1.69 ERA with 14 strikeouts in three September appearances as part of his comeback.
In 2020’s shortened season, deGrom made 12 starts, followed by a career-low 1.08 ERA in 2021 across 92 innings before missing the final third due to arm issues. In 2022, complications from a stress reaction led to a cautious phase before he put up a 3.08 ERA after his eventual return, prior to embarking on free agency.