ARLINGTON -- Thousands and thousands of fans wearing white Jacob deGrom jerseys roamed the concourses of Globe Life Field on Tuesday night. It just so happened that his free jersey giveaway would fall on his day of the rotation, in which he was set to face the Orioles for the second time in a row.
Fans, predictably, made their way to Arlington, with deGrom coming off a no-hit bid in Baltimore last time out.
“Part of the reason we brought him here is not only to win, but to give our fans the opportunity to watch one of the greatest pitchers in the world in his craft,” president of baseball operations Chris Young said on Monday. “Obviously, I'm a former pitcher. Not close to the talent level of Jacob, but I love watching pitchers pitch. He's just an incredible combination of elite, powerful stuff with the ability to pitch. It’s an art form.”
He wasn’t perfect on Tuesday night, though deGrom does get closer than most pitchers on a nightly basis. But the Rangers’ ace dealt yet another quality start, allowing two runs in six innings in Texas’ 10-2 win over Baltimore.
“Of course, Jacob was Jacob,” said manager Bruce Bochy. “Just another terrific job. … This guy is special. Talk about a feeling of confidence with the team. I’ll keep saying it, I love watching him. You can feel it with the crowd. You can. Just a terrific job.”
He extended his streak of pitching five or more innings and allowing two or fewer runs to 14 games. It's the longest streak in franchise history (since 1961) and longest streak in MLB this season. His ERA is at 2.13.
The lone blemish on deGrom’s night was a two-out, two-run homer by Gary Sánchez in the fourth inning, which was the first home run deGrom had allowed since May 26, a span of five straight starts and 32 innings.
His six-game quality start streak is his longest since Aug. 13-Sept. 13, 2022 when he was with the Mets (also six consecutive quality starts).
“You’ve got the best pitcher on the planet on the mound, I feel like people are going to show up and there's going to be a lot of energy,” said catcher Jonah Heim. “I feel like our team feeds off it. He's going to give us a chance to win each and every day. He's great. He makes my job real easy. I sit back there, catch the ball, throw to third base after he strikes people out and we go about our business.”
The announced paid attendance at Globe Life Field was 30,933. It wasn’t a sellout, and not particularly close. But on a random July Tuesday night against another non-rival American League team, it’s clear that deGrom’s presence is percolating throughout the Metroplex.
Not one to bask in the attention despite his prowess on the mound, deGrom said he recognizes the crowd and the energy that comes when he takes the mound.
“You notice it more when you come out of the game,” deGrom said. “I guess you try to stay locked in on what you need to do out there. I try to make things simple and just try to hit the target as many times as I can. Then after the game, coming out, you see that many people, and it's good energy. We need that. We need to keep winning these. Just keep winning baseball games.”
Tuesday’s win also snapped a four-game stretch in which the Rangers went to extra innings, losing three of them.
That’s what a guy like deGrom brings to a team. He can extend a winning streak or he can stop a losing skid. He can cruise through seven perfect innings or he can battle like he did on Tuesday. He’s the ultimate stopper for a team that really needed to get things back on track.
“The level of consistency, the competitiveness, the ability to mix power with command, it’s truly an art,” Young reiterated. “I love watching him pitch. He makes mistakes here and there, but the consistency and the quality of the stuff, the level of competitiveness and just how he controls the game, it's unique. It's special. It's why he's one of the best to ever do it.”
“He makes it look easy, and you think that it is. He barely breaks a sweat. Just his pace, his rhythm, it looks like he's in complete control. His ability to execute pitches consistently, it does look easy. I know it's not. I know how hard it is, but it's just one of the fun things about watching him.”