DeGrom Near No-Hitter Shines Against Rangers: Dominance on the Mound

DeGrom Shines on the Mound: Dominance and Triumphant Return

When Jacob deGrom is at his best, the Texas Rangers consider him the best pitcher on the planet. The two-time Cy Young Award winner is proving that he has returned to his stellar level. DeGrom flirted with a perfect game through six innings and a no-hitter until the seventh, offering another dominant performance in his return from Tommy John surgery in June 2023. He threw 89 pitches and was removed after allowing his only hit to start the eighth inning. The Rangers finished with a 7-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles, with deGrom tying his record streak of 13 consecutive starts allowing two or fewer earned runs.

“When you miss so much time, you miss this a lot. You have time to really think about what you’ve done in your career. The goal is to try to come back and be as good as I was before the surgery, so I constantly try to work on that and still work on things in between,” deGrom said.
Jacob deGrom

In the seventh inning, deGrom walked Jackson Holliday, then struck out Jordan Westburg and got Gunnar Henderson to fly out. Afterwards, he issued another walk to Ryan O’Hearn, which prompted a visit to the mound, but he managed to get Gary Sánchez to hit into a force out and thus end the inning. Texas pulled deGrom after facing 24 batters. He had thrown 59 of 89 pitches for strikes. Manager Bruce Bochy commented that deGrom was pitching well and that he planned to give him the opportunity to complete the no-hitter attempt. The Rangers have been limiting deGrom to around 80 pitches per game.

“The first guy who connected a hit got far enough. We had a good lead, and it’s a lot of fun to watch. It really is. I’ve said it. I’m a fan when he’s pitching,” Bochy added.
Bruce Bochy

Rangers catcher Jonah Heim noted that deGrom was throwing all four types of pitches for strikes, and that all he had to do was call the pitches.

“It’s the best I’ve seen him since he got here. It’s very encouraging to see him, really proud of him for all the work he’s done to get here,” Heim said.
Jonah Heim

The Rangers are enjoying the best of deGrom in his third season in Texas, since he signed a five-year, $185 million contract. He’s off to an 8-2 start and has started 16 games after being limited to three in 2024 and six in 2023. DeGrom, of course, wanted to complete the no-hitter, until a fastball found an inopportune place for the only hit he allowed.