ARLINGTON -- Entering Tuesday’s matchup with the A’s, Jacob deGrom had received nine total runs of support in his five starts (27 IP) in 2025, good for a 3.00 run support average that would rank tied for 12th-lowest in the American League if he qualified with enough innings.
deGrom’s 4.20 RSA since 2018 is fifth-lowest in MLB (min. 700 IP), according to the Rangers. In fact, he’s been backed with two-or-fewer runs of support in nearly half (110 of 223, 49.3%) of the starts in his career, going 11-51, despite a 3.00 ERA, in those 110 starts.
deGrom, like all pitchers, is trying to produce zeros no matter what his offense is doing on any given night. But the Rangers' ace has no doubt walked a finer line than most, with little margin for error.
On Tuesday night, the Rangers' offense found a pulse for the first time all week, collecting 18 hits and a season-high nine walks en route to 15-2 win over the A’s at Globe Life Field.
“It does feel better,” deGrom said of the run support. “But like I've said it before, even when they put up a ton of runs, the goal is to go out there and put up another zero and get them back in the dugout. That's constantly the goal, to not give up runs. That's what I try to do. I try not to look at any game differently. I try to just go out there and put up zeros and keep it close.”
Run support is good. Great even. But more importantly, deGrom looked like the best version of himself for the first time all season as he collected his first win of 2025.
deGrom tossed six shutout innings in the victory, and he could’ve gone even further. The right-hander’s night came to an end at just 65 pitches due to a long layoff with the Rangers’ eight-run sixth. He had allowed just four runs, all singles, while walking no one. He struck out a season-high-tying seven batters.
Manager Bruce Bochy emphasized that so much of this season will be about keeping deGrom healthy. If they have the opportunity to get him a break here or there -- like they did tonight -- they’ll take it no doubt.
It was also the first time he’s recorded a win since April 23, 2023, also against the A’s, just weeks before it was announced he would need Tommy John surgery.
“He’s a pretty good pitcher, I’d say,” catcher Jonah Heim joked. “Yeah, he looked great. I think the biggest thing today is that he didn't miss the plate. He had competitive misses, and his strikes were right where he wanted them to be. When he's doing that, he's gonna be pretty nasty.”
He also averaged 97.4 mph on his 34 four-seam fastballs in the win, marking his highest single-game average on the pitch in his six starts this year. deGrom said the effectiveness of his fastball had to do with the mechanical changes that he’s been working on all month long.
“With the flying open thing, once I played catch yesterday, I had looked at a couple things, and I was like, ‘Oh, I think this is what is causing it,’” deGrom explained. “Then, to see it translated in the game was a huge plus. Now it's just working on doing that with consistency.”
For weeks, deGrom has said that he’s felt “pretty close” to where he wants to be on the mound. The mechanics have been slowly clicking into place, as he’s constantly tinkering and perfecting every little thing.
Tonight’s scoreless outing was yet again another step in the right direction.
“There were a lot of strikeouts where he just overpowered the hitters, which is who he is,” Heim said. “He's got that electric fastball. He had them guessing, because he was throwing all his pitches for strikes. We had a good game plan going in, and he trusts the buttons I hit. Like I said, he was pretty nasty.”