Despite being the staff ace, Jacob deGrom had a less-than-ideal Opening Day start, marking it as his worst performance in four consecutive years. However, the Texas Rangers’ offense was able to compensate for his underwhelming performance, ensuring a successful outing for the team.
ARLINGTON, Texas – Jacob deGrom’s Texas Rangers teammates came to his rescue during the season opener against the Philadelphia Phillies, scoring an impressive nine runs in a single inning to secure an 11-7 victory.
However, deGrom’s performance on his first day with the team was not up to par. “I’m not thrilled with how I threw the ball,” he admitted. “I didn’t make pitches when I needed to.”
Prior to the game, deGrom had a strong track record on Opening Day, having made three consecutive starts for the New York Mets from 2019 to 2021.
During those games, he pitched a total of 17 innings, allowed just nine hits, no runs, and four walks, while striking out 25 batters. He held a batting average against him of just .158 and gave up only two extra-base hits.
Initially, deGrom appeared to be on track during the first inning of the game, striking out Trea Turner in three pitches, getting Kyle Schwarber to fly out, and then striking out J.T. Realmuto.
However, his performance waned as the game progressed, causing him to express dissatisfaction with his overall performance.
However, as the game progressed, deGrom’s performance began to falter. He threw a total of 73 pitches and ended up giving up six hits and five runs, all of which were earned, while also striking out seven batters.
When asked about what went wrong, deGrom explained, “I went back and looked at some of the pitches that they hit and I felt like I threw them well, but they did a good job of battling. They hit some of those that were off the plate.”
The hits he gave up were particularly damaging, all six of them resulting in extra bases. It wasn’t a case of the Phillies stringing together singles, but rather hitting for significant yardage.
In the second inning, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Nick Castellanos doubled with just one out, and Alec Bohm followed suit with a home run just two batters later.
The third inning saw Brandon Marsh and Trea Turner hit back-to-back triples, with J.T. Realmuto later doubling. However, Jacob deGrom managed to strand him.
Unfortunately, Alec Bohm continued to be a thorn in deGrom’s side during the fourth inning, hitting a one-out double. Bohm proved to be the most difficult player for deGrom to contend with, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs. He was able to capitalize on mistakes made in the pitches thrown his way.
According to deGrom, “The mistakes were mainly to Bohm, you know, and those were ones that were my fault. The other ones I felt like were good pitches.”
On a positive note, deGrom managed to strike out six batters during the game. When he had control over his pitches, he was able to dominate the Phillies’ hitters. Furthermore, he did not issue any walks during the game, which is a good sign.
Despite the less-than-ideal outcome, deGrom is determined to continue improving in his next start and extend his pitch count to 90. He reported feeling good after the game and believes he still has some pitches left in the tank.
DeGrom acknowledged that in his next start, he wants to contribute more to the team’s effort to win. He recognized that on some days, the offense may struggle, and it would be his responsibility to pick them up.
Conversely, on Thursday, he had an off day, but his teammates stepped up and carried the load. He emphasized that every player’s ultimate goal is to work together and win as a team, which requires consistent effort and dedication.
