Jacob deGrom (37, Texas Rangers), who pushed aside Ryu Hyun-jin (38, Hanwha Eagles), the frontrunner for the 2019 National League (NL) Cy Young Award race, has made a glorious comeback. After undergoing Tommy John surgery following his free agency move, he faced a year of rehabilitation, but he came back with a flourish.
On the 26th (hereafter Korean time), deGrom started in an away game against the 2025 Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Maryland, leading Texas to a 7-0 victory with 7 innings pitched, allowing just 1 hit, 2 walks, and striking out 7 without allowing any runs. With this win, deGrom improved his record to 8 wins (2 losses) and lowered his earned run average to 2.08 from 2.24.
His pitching was overwhelming, to the point where he had a perfect game through the 6th inning. He allowed a walk to lead-off batter Jackson Holiday in the 7th, breaking the perfect game, and gave up a hit to lead-off batter Colton Cowser in the 8th, ending his no-hitter, but it was a game that reaffirmed deGrom's revival. He threw a total of 89 pitches, reaching a top speed of 100.1 mph (161.1 km/h) with an average of 98.4 mph (158.4 km/h) on his four-seam fastball (31 pitches), along with sliders (35 pitches), changeups (19 pitches), and curves (4 pitches).
The velocity of his four-seam fastball was 1.3 mph (2.1 km/h) faster than his season average, and he effectively utilized his changeup, which he increased the proportion of compared to usual, as his decisive pitch. According to 'MLB.com,' after the game, deGrom said, "Most opposing teams tend to only look at two types of pitches when they face me. That’s why I mixed in various pitches from the beginning and tried to maintain that throughout the game."
Cowser, who denied deGrom's no-hitter, said, "Today, deGrom's stuff was really plus, plus level. His slider was well-placed, and he mixed in more changeups than before. Plus, with his fastball command being on point, he was really tough to face. It’s really difficult for the opposing team when he can command all three types of pitches. So after getting the first hit, I felt relieved."
With this, deGrom has extended his streak of games with at least 5 innings pitched and 2 earned runs or fewer to 13 consecutive games. This is the longest streak in the history of the Texas franchise, including his previous time with the Washington Senators, and it is also the longest streak in Major League Baseball this season.
His overall performance this season shows 16 games (95⅓ innings pitched), with an 8-2 record, an earned run average of 2.08, 94 strikeouts, a WHIP of 0.88, and a batting average against of .189. He ranks 2nd in WHIP in the American League (AL), 4th in earned run average and batting average against, tied for 4th in wins, and 9th in innings pitched, signaling his resurgence. DeGrom said, "I’m not trying to get too far ahead of myself. I focus day by day, concentrating on every pitch on the mound and targeting the strike zone. If I make a mistake pitch, I’m going to try to make a good pitch next time," remaining grounded.
Debuting with the New York Mets in 2014, deGrom made a spectacular entrance, winning the NL Rookie of the Year that year. From 2018 to 2019, he swept the NL Cy Young Award for two consecutive years, enjoying the peak of his career. In 2018, his pitching performance was so dominant that he became the Cy Young Award winner with the fewest wins in history at 10. In 2019, he surpassed Ryu Hyun-jin, who had the lowest earned run average in the NL with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Although deGrom had an earned run average ranking of 2nd, he led the league with 255 strikeouts and recorded a WAR of 7.2. He received 29 out of 30 first-place votes in the Cy Young voting, surpassing Ryu Hyun-jin (5.1) with a better WAR. He finished with 207 points, beating Ryu Hyun-jin, who received 88 points including 1 first-place vote.
DeGrom, a fireballer who throws at a top speed of 102.2 mph (164.5 km/h) and excels in both command and stamina, is recognized as the best in Major League Baseball, being called the "best pitcher on earth." However, he has struggled with various injuries since 2021, earning the label of being injury-prone, but after finishing the 2022 season, he signed a 5-year, $185 million deal with Texas, earning a significant contract in free agency.
However, he ultimately could not escape the grasp of injuries. After pitching in 6 games until April 2023, he was placed on the injured list due to elbow inflammation, and during his recovery attempts, damage to his elbow ligament was discovered, leading to Tommy John surgery in early June, rendering him out for the season. DeGrom expressed his despair during an interview at that time, saying it was "disappointing," and he even shed tears.
After 1 year and 3 months of rehabilitation, deGrom returned to the big league mound last September. Having thrown 3 games to warm up, he entered this season, expressing excitement by saying, "It feels like I’m passing through the end of a tunnel and greeting Christmas morning," and he is showing that enthusiasm through his performance. His earned run averages have been decreasing: 2.73 in March-April, 2.08 in May, and 1.41 in June. If he has the same stamina as he did when he overtook Ryu Hyun-jin in the 2019 Cy Young race, a comeback this year is not impossible. It is a resurrection of the best pitcher on earth, silencing critiques of being a poor acquisition in free agency.
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