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Texas Rangers ace Jacob deGrom made MLB history against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday.
DeGrom recorded his 1,800th career strikeout in the second inning, getting Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford to swing through a 98.7 mph heater to record his fourth strikeout of the game.
In doing so, deGrom became the fastest player to reach that mark, needing just 240 games and 1,493.1 innings pitched to do so.
DeGrom, 37, beat out the record of Hall of Famer Randy Johnson, the tall left-hander who needed 243 games to reach 1,800 strikeouts.
As for innings, current Atlanta Braves southpaw ace, Chris Sale, needed 1,498 innings to reach the milestone.
DODGERS’ CLAYTON KERSHAW JOINS ELITE GROUP IN MLB HISTORY AFTER REACHING 3,000 CAREER STRIKEOUTS
DeGrom’s night ended after five innings of work, when he tallied five strikeouts and three walks. He allowed four hits, three of which went over the fence, to total five earned runs in the 5-4 loss.
It was an uncharacteristic start for the right-hander despite the MLB history that came with it. He hadn’t allowed three homers in a single game since 2022, when his then-New York Mets faced the Braves.
DeGrom came into this start owning a 2.55 ERA over 21 appearances (123.2 innings), when he struck out 130 batters to just 26 walks.
In his prime, deGrom was one of the most dominant pitchers in the game, winning back-to-back Cy Young Awards in 2018 and 2019 as the clear best pitcher in baseball. At that time, the coveted 3,000-career strikeout mark was discussed by some.
However, injuries became an unfortunate reality for deGrom, who pitched just 15 games in 2021 with the Mets after dealing with forearm tightness and elbow inflammation.
Then, after a stress reaction in his scapula delayed his 2022 start until August, he made just six starts in his 2023 debut with the Rangers before needing Tommy John surgery. It was the second of his baseball career, as he tore it shortly after being drafted in 2010.
DeGrom started just three games last year for Texas, who he signed a five-year, $185 million deal with before the 2023 campaign.
This year’s production is what the Rangers and its fan base were hoping to see when he signed, and despite the rough outing on Sunday night, deGrom has been pitching to the standard he expects himself to.
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