Rangers ace Jacob deGrom’s humble reason for longest start since $185 million contract

The Texas Rangers grabbed a 1-0 victory on Thursday night against the Houston Astros after Jacob deGrom tossed a gem. The ace went eight innings, allowing just five hits and no runs while striking out seven. In fact, it was deGrom’s longest start since inking a $185 million deal with the Rangers in 2022.

When reporters asked him about that, the veteran gave an extremely humble response.

Via ESPN:

“Probably my defense behind me,” deGrom responded.

Texas made a few impressive defensive plays, especially in the outfield. Center fielder Evan Carter had a nice catch in the fifth, while right fielder Adolis Garcia made two sliding grabs as well. deGrom definitely got a bit of help from his defense, but there’s no doubt he was also simply lights out.

The righty consistently pounded the strike zone, surrendering just one free pass. He’s only allowed 11 walks this season in 51 innings. deGrom has always been known for his pinpoint command, and 2025 is a testament to that.

Thursday’s outing was his longest since April of 2021. deGrom has dealt with a lot of injury problems over the last handful of years, but he’s now healthy and carving up opponents.

“The goal is just to try to take the ball as much as I can, try to stay out on the field, do what I can in between to get ready for the next one,” deGrom said. “You miss that much time, you really miss this game. … Being able to come back and pitch some [late] last year, that gave me a little peace of mind going into this season. So I was able to prepare well this offseason and try to go out there as many times as they let me.”

The Rangers’ stud improved to 4-1 and has now lowered his ERA to 2.29. Texas sits at 24-21 and has received a ton of consistent performances from their pitching staff, but Bruce Bochy’s offense has yet to wake up.