ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) 鈥 Jacob deGrom struck out eight over five innings in his 30th and final start of the season for the Texas Rangers, in what has to be considered a victory even though he didn’t get one.
The 37-year-old lanky right-hander, their , made all but one start this year while throwing 172 2/3 innings after missing most of his first two seasons with the Rangers because of Tommy John surgery.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a win. It鈥檚 an absolute win for the organization, for Jacob,鈥 Chris Young, the team’s president of baseball operations, said before the game. 鈥淚f you had told me before the year that he would have 30 starts, I would be thrilled, and I am. I鈥檓 so happy for him. He鈥檚 worked so hard. And to see him get 30 starts and have the year he鈥檚 had, it鈥檚 pretty special.鈥
With the no-decision in the Rangers’ 4-2 win over Minnesota, DeGrom finished 12-8 with a 2.97 ERA and 185 strikeouts.
Even though he won only two of his final 10 starts, it was a for deGrom, who had made only 35 starts and pitched 197 1/3 innings combined the past four seasons.
A night after Texas was eliminated from playoff contention with its eighth consecutive loss, the game was tied 1-1 when deGrom threw the last of his 74 pitches. The two-time National League Cy Young Award winner allowed only one more hit and walked one after Bryon Buxton led off with a 447-foot home run to straightaway center on the second pitch of the game.
Robert Garcia took over on the mound to start the sixth inning.
DeGrom’s final two seasons with the New York Mets were plagued by injury before he left in free agency after the 2022 season. He then had Tommy John surgery after only six starts in his Rangers debut in 2023, the season of their only World Series title. They won each of his starts that all came before the end of April that year.
After making three starts in the final month of the 2024 season, deGrom had a full offseason to prepare for this season.
鈥淚 believed in him the whole time that he鈥檇 have a full season this year,鈥 Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a guy who鈥檚 very hard on himself. You look at his numbers and say, wow, that鈥檚 a great year. And you ask him, he鈥檚 like, 鈥楳an I wish I could鈥檝e did this or that.鈥 But he was an All-Star, he was our ace the entire year. ... The second year after Tommy John is usually better than the first, so that鈥檚 what I鈥檓 excited to see.”
Earlier this season, deGrom set a with 14 consecutive starts going at least five innings and not giving up more than two runs. That same span was the longest streak by any traditional starter (not including openers) in the modern era since 1900 of not allowing more than six hits and two runs in a game, according to STATS.
He also came the when allowing only a leadoff single in the eighth inning June 25 at Baltimore, a month after the only start in his career .
The $185 million, five-year deal deGrom signed with Texas included a that has been triggered because of the time missed injured.
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