It's safe to state that Jacob deGrom’s debut with the Rangers did not go as planned.
The two-time National League Cy Young winner failed to make it out of the fourth inning on Opening Day against the Phillies.
DeGrom gave up six hits and five earned runs in only 3.2 innings. Despite striking out seven batters, the right-hander allowed six extra base hits—three doubles, two triples and one home run—making for the most the veteran ace has ever surrendered in a start in his career.
DeGrom will not start his Rangers’ career with a loss, despite the poor outing. After leaving the game with his club down 5–0, the Rangers got their new ace off the hook by scoring nine runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Jacob deGrom was pulled in the fourth inning in his Rangers debut after allowing a career-high six extra-base hits in a start
— SI MLB (@si_mlb) March 30, 2023
(via @NBCSPhilly) pic.twitter.com/Ap04dYBRPg
Still, after his first start with his new club, deGrom finds his ERA sitting at a whopping 12.27.
After nine stellar seasons with the Mets, deGrom signed a massive five-year, $185 million contract with Texas in the offseason. When healthy, the 34-year-old is arguably one of the best starting pitchers in Major League Baseball. However, a rash of injuries have prevented the dominant talent from pitching a complete season since 2019.
With deGrom now seemingly healthy, it’s safe to say that the Rangers were not envisioning this beginning to the right-hander’s era in Texas.
