Subscribe
Follow Us
It was an exciting performance for Texas Rangers star Jacob deGrom against the Houston Astros as the team took home the win, 1-0, in what was a pitching masterclass. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy spoke after the win over the Astros about deGrom's outing, which harkened back to his elite days with the New York Mets.
On Thursday, deGrom pitched eight shutout innings to go along with seven strikeouts and one walk while allowing seven hits against Houston, bringing him his fourth win of the season. The performance would garner the attention of Bochy, who spoke about how deGrom was “locked in,” according to MLB.com.
“What a game,” Bochy said. “It was everything we thought this game would be. We knew runs would be at a premium. What a game Jacob threw, and their guy was so tough, too. Just a terrific game to be part of. … [deGrom] has been pretty locked in. I think he knew this would be a battle. He's one of the best ever in this game. He knew this was an important game, with who we were going against. He was locked in as much as any start I've seen.”
Funny enough, Thursday night was the anniversary of deGrom's debut in the MLB in 2014 with the Mets, as 11 years later, he would express the one aspect that is a tough one to break from.
“One of the hardest things to do in this game is trust your stuff. You always try to overdo it,” deGrom said via Kennedi Landry. “There's times where still, however many years later, I try to overdo it.”
Rangers' Bruce Bochy says Jacob deGrom is “one of the best ever”
As the Rangers manager in Bochy climbs up the win list, he would speak further about the 36-year-old star, even saying that he's one of the best pitchers to play in the sport.
“He's one of the best ever, and now that he's healthy, you're seeing it,” Bochy said. “He's done this for a while. I mean the numbers, they show he's one of the best ever. You see what this man's doing right now. He's right back on track, he's healthy. I enjoy watching him, I’m a fan, too.”
Bochy mentioned deGrom being healthy, which is a huge part of his current success, as since winning a few Cy Young awards, he's been plagued with injuries. There's no doubt deGrom missed the competition, as he states.
“The goal is just to try to take the ball as much as I can,” deGrom said. “You miss that much time, you really miss this game. We give a lot to play this, and then having to miss time, there is unknown. Being able to come back and pitch some last year, that gave me a little peace of mind going into this season. I was able to prepare well this off-season, and I want to try to go out there as many times as they let me.”
Texas is 24-21, which puts them second in the AL West.
