How Was Ex-Mets Pitcher Jacob deGrom’s Texas Rangers Debut?

The crowd went wild as deGrom threw seven of his first 10 pitches for strikes in a perfect first inning, but the Phillies took the lead in the second when Alec Bohm hit a two-run homer off a 99-mph fastball. Back-to-back triples by Brandon Marsh and $300 million free agent Trea Turner in the third inning, followed by J.T. Realmuto’s RBI double, gave Philadelphia a 4-0 lead.

DeGrom, throwing 49 strikes out of 73 pitches, didn’t issue any walks. Before the game, first-year Rangers manager Bruce Bochy mentioned that deGrom was expected to pitch about 65 pitches. This game marked deGrom’s fourth career Opening Day start, and the first where he allowed a run.

In his previous three openers for the Mets, he pitched 17 scoreless innings with 25 strikeouts, including one against the Phillies two years ago. Even though deGrom is now in the American League, he faced a familiar opponent, having started 20 games against the Phillies with a record of 9-1, a 2.18 ERA, and 136 strikeouts over 120 innings.

The Rangers took precautions with deGrom after he experienced tightness in his left side before the first official spring training workout on Feb. 15. He struck out 10 in 6 2/3 scoreless innings in his only two exhibition games in Arizona, after throwing batting practice and a minor league game.

Last year, deGrom didn’t make his first major league start until Aug. 2, finishing with a 5-4 record and a 3.08 ERA in 11 regular-season games before winning a wild-card game for the Mets.

He posted a career-low 1.08 ERA over 92 innings in 2021 but missed the last three months with right forearm tightness and a sprained elbow, and was shut down late in spring training last year due to a stress reaction in his right scapula.