Jacob deGrom hadn’t taken the field in New York in over two years. On Wednesday night, he picked up right where he left off.
The 36-year-old right hander, who cemented his legacy as one of the most dominant pitchers of his era over nine seasons with the Mets – winning the 2014 Rookie of the Year and back-to-back Cy Young awards – settled for a gem against their crosstown rivals, twirling a gem against the Yankees in the Bronx as a member of the Texas Rangers.
He’ll have to wait until mid-September to return to his old stomping grounds in Queens.
deGrom silenced the potent Yankees offense, holding them to just three hits and a walk over seven innings while surrendering a pair of runs and striking out nine. The right-hander responded to Anthony Volpe’s second-inning triple by retiring the next 15 batters he faced, not permitting another baserunner until Cody Bellinger clubbed a solo homer in the bottom of the seventh.
The hurler’s gem ultimately fell by the wayside as the Yankees rallied in the final innings to even the score, setting the stage for Jasson Dominguez to call game with a walk-off home run for a 4-3 victory.
But for deGrom, his outing remained significant on multiple fronts. The veteran flamethrower has battled injuries for years and underwent Tommy John surgery for the second time in his career in 2023, just six starts into his five-year, $185 million contract with the Rangers.
At this point in his career, simply being on the mound is a success in itself. But doing it in the city where it all began, and dominating in the process, made it especially meaningful.
“You miss that much time, it’s good to pitch anywhere,” deGrom said after the game. “But having spent most of my career in New York, getting back on the mound here, it was fun.”
Perhaps the highlight of the evening came in the third inning when deGrom stood toe-to-toe with Aaron Judge for the second time. After pitching around him in their initial encounter, deGrom went straight at the Yankee captain.
He challenged Judge with a flurry of four-seamers, but the star outfielder battled back, fouling off everything in the zone and working the count full. On the ninth pitch of the at-bat, deGrom reached back for one last heater, a 98.2 mph bullet on the outside corner of the plate. Judge was ready for it, but just got under it, lifting a high pop-up to second base.
As Judge rounded the bag, he nodded toward deGrom, and the pitcher smiled back. Asked about the exchange after the game, Judge explained it was a matter of mutual respect.
“I got a lot of respect for deGrom,” Judge, who tied the game with an eighth-inning single off right-hander Luke Jackson after going 0-for-2 with a walk against the Rangers ace, said. “He’s one of the best pitchers of our generation in this game.
“Getting a chance to battle him like that, I enjoy nights like this going up against the best. It was a mutual respect head nod of ‘alright, see you next round.’”
Said deGrom of the Yankee captain: “He’s probably the best hitter in baseball. Seeing what he’s doing this year, you just gotta make sure you make your pitches.”
Through nine starts in 2025, deGrom has shown flashes of his vintage self. The right-hander carries a 2.29 ERA with a 0.98 WHIP and 53 strikeouts. He’s turned it up a notch over his last five outings, posting a 1.45 ERA with a 0.81 WHIP and 36 strikeouts across 31 innings, wielding a blazing fastball that topped out at 99.3 mph on Wednesday.
