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While they still came away with the win, Jacob deGrom’s debut with the Texas Rangers was not the spectacle many expected it to be. deGrom got real about his Opening Day struggles and what went wrong in his first Rangers appearance.
The Rangers’ ace lasted 3.2 innings, allowing five earned runs and six hits. deGrom wasn’t happy walking off the mound. But he took solace in the fact that his first game playing for the Rangers ended in a win, via Bally Sports Southwest.
“My outing, I’m not thrilled with. I didn’t make the pitches when I needed to,” deGrom said. “But the most important thing is we got a win.”
deGrom’s began his Opening Day start with a clean first inning. However, the first sign of trouble came when he allowed a two-run home run in the second. deGrom would let up two more runs on a triple and a wild pitch in the third inning. He was pulled with a man on second, who ultimately scored, in the fourth inning.
Despite deGrom’s rough start, the Rangers were able to use a nine-run fourth inning to down the Phillies. They entered the fourth down 5-0. After their outburst, Texas never looked back and won their Opening Day contest 11-7.
It wasn’t all bad for Jacob deGrom as he did record seven strikeouts in his short outing. However, it was certainly less than expected from the former Cy Young winner.
The Rangers are counting on deGrom’s success for a strong season. He knows that Texas can’t afford too many blowups throughout the season. He’ll take the win, but deGrom knows he needs to pitch better.