Epic Pitching Duel: DeGrom vs. Brown at the Summit
A pitching duel that lived up to the highest expectations was experienced in the match between the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros. Two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom took the victory against Hunter Brown, the young prospect of the Astros, who, with 10 years less, pitched the first complete game of his career.
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy had already expressed his admiration for deGrom, considering him one of the best pitchers in history. Likewise, he highlighted the great performance of Brown, who is consolidating himself as one of the best at present.
“Everything we expected from this game, that runs would be scarce, came true,” Bochy commented. “I didn’t expect it to be just one.”
Bruce Bochy
Jake Burger hit a home run in the top of the sixth inning, giving the Rangers a 1-0 victory in the first game of the series.
DeGrom, 36, who returned after Tommy John surgery, struck out seven batters in eight innings and only conceded one walk. The right-hander threw 69 pitches of his 96 for strikes.
This was his first start against Houston, and it coincided with the eleventh anniversary of his major league debut with the Mets. It was his longest start since a scoreless game for New York against Washington on April 23, 2021.
“The goal is to try to take the ball as much as I can, try to stay on the field, do what I can to prepare for the next one,” deGrom said. “You miss this game a lot when you’re out for so long. … Being able to come back and throw a little bit (at the end) of last year gave me a little peace of mind going into this season. So I was able to prepare well this offseason and try to get out there as many times as they’ll let me.”
Jacob deGrom
Brown (6-2) entered the game tied for the lead in wins in Major League Baseball. He struck out nine without conceding walks in a 91-pitch effort, throwing 65 strikes. He retired the first 12 batters before Adolis García hit a double to left field at the start of the fifth inning, the inning before Burger’s home run.
“We both know it’s a pitchers’ duel and sometimes in a pitchers’ duel, one pitch is sometimes all it takes. That’s what happened in today’s game,” said Astros manager Joe Espada.
Joe Espada
Brown had gone 6-0 in seven starts since losing his season debut in a 3-1 defeat to the Mets. In exactly one year, since May 15, 2024, Brown is 17-7 with 26 quality starts and a 2.18 ERA: only Paul Skenes has a better ERA in that span.
DeGrom, for his part, has an ERA of 1.49 in his last six starts.
Rangers right fielder García made a sliding catch for the final out of the seventh inning, with Houston having a runner on second base. García also made another sliding catch near the line after running a long distance to open the fourth inning, and center fielder Evan Carter made a nice running catch against Jake Meyers to start the fifth.
“Probably my defense behind me,” deGrom responded when asked what allowed him to have the longest of his 18 starts for Texas since he signed a five-year, $185 million contract in December 2022.
“He’s one of the best in this game,” Bochy said. “He’s just unbelievable with his stuff, his command and everything, and his competitive nature.”
