ARLINGTON -- Jacob deGrom allowed a leadoff homer to A’s outfielder Lawrence Butler to begin Tuesday night's American League West bout. It was only the seventh leadoff home run he's allowed in his career (playoffs included), but the third this season.
It was just a minor hiccup for deGrom, who didn’t flinch before proceeding to shut down the A’s lineup afterwards. The Rangers' ace retired 10 straight batters between Butler’s homer and a Nick Kurtz walk in the fourth inning. He finished his night at six innings of one-run ball, walking one and striking out nine.
“He steps his game up,” said A’s manager Mark Kotsay. “When he gets a baserunner on, he takes it from a 7 to a 10. You saw that tonight. He’s got a different gear. That’s what aces do, really."
deGrom’s ERA is down to 2.28, just behind Tarik Skubal and Garrett Crochet's 2.19 atop the American League.
The Rangers' offense didn’t let up either, with Adolis García, Marcus Semien and Corey Seager all launching homers to back deGrom and propel Texas to a 6-2 win.
deGrom earned his 10th win of the season, joining teammate Nathan Eovaldi (11-4 through 20 GS in 2023) as the only Rangers starters since 2020 to collect 10 wins through his first 20 starts of a campaign.
“He’s as consistent as you can have,” said manager Bruce Bochy. “Every start, he gives us a tremendous job. A lot of swing and miss tonight. He's just so fun to watch. I keep saying it, he’s so good at what he does with the stuff, location and everything. He gives up a leadoff homer and after that shuts them down.”
deGrom got 28 whiffs, the most he's gotten in a single game since April 10, 2021. He’s had 25 or more whiffs just 16 times in his career, the last being April 5, 2023, when he did so against the Orioles just weeks before he would undergo Tommy John surgery.
With 28 whiffs on 54 swings (51.9%), deGrom had his highest whiff percentage since April 23, 2023 (56.1%).
deGrom’s 17 outings with 25 or more swings and misses under pitch tracking (2008), is second to only former teammate Max Scherzer (20). Since deGrom’s debut year of 2014, Scherzer has 18 and deGrom has 17.
“I was just moving the ball around a little bit more, trying not to be one sided and mixing the changeup a little bit more,” deGrom said. “I had a good feel for the slider. We went in a few times up, just trying to consistently move it around so they're not looking in one spot. I was looking at how guys are approaching me and how I used to pitch. I was just trying to not be as predictable as I have been.”
deGrom made this start on extended nine-days rest following the All-Star break. In an effort to manage the 2025 All-Star’s innings, the Rangers intentionally put him in the last spot of the rotation out of the break.
“I feel good,” deGrom reiterated. “Like I said before, the goal is to make as many starts as I can. We'll have to see what innings look like. But right now, I feel good, and I'm communicating that with them, and let's keep going.”
deGrom's 117 2/3 innings this season are already more than he has thrown in any season since 2019, when he won his second consecutive Cy Young Award with the Mets after posting a 2.43 ERA in 204 innings.
While he’s looked like the best version of himself, so much of the second half of the season and into a potential postseason push will have to be about managing him and keeping him healthy.
“He's had a tremendous first, what is it 20 starts?,” president of baseball operations Chris Young said. “If we can keep him out there, and keep the best version of Jacob, it's a great thing for our club. I don't know what the exact number is going to be, what the innings are going to be. I just know that he's feeling really good, and we're doing our best to try to protect him.”