Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom made his return to Citi Field on Friday night. deGrom pitched well as the Rangers defeated the New York Mets 8-3. The veteran hurler allowed three earned runs across seven innings of work. deGrom — who pitched for the Mets from 2016-2022 — reacted to returning to his former home ball park after the game.
“It was really cool,” deGrom said, via Bill Ladson of MLB.com. “This is where it all started and, coming back here, I thought it was going to be a very special day. I’m thankful for the Mets for playing that (tribute video). These fans were great to me when I was here. That was a really nice thing to do.”
As deGrom mentioned, the Mets played a tribute video for him. The pitcher earned two National League Cy Young awards and a Rookie of the Year honor during his time in New York. He never did win a championship with the ball club, but the Mets had a number of competitive seasons with deGrom leading the way.
After earning four All-Star selections with his former team, Jacob deGrom earned his first All-Star selection this season with the Rangers. He currently holds a 2.82 ERA across 28 starts. The Rangers star has recorded 171 strikeouts as well. At 37 years old, deGrom looks like the ace-caliber pitcher he once was in New York with the Mets.
Meanwhile, deGrom's Rangers are 78-70. Texas is in both the American League West and Wild Card races at the moment. Winning the division is the goal, but the ball club would not complain about reaching the postseason as a Wild Card team. A few months ago, 2025 looked like a lost season for the Rangers, but now Texas appears to be a legitimate contender.
The Rangers and Mets will go head-to-head once again on Saturday afternoon at 4:10 PM EST.
