One Pitch Cost Rangers’ Jacob deGrom Shot at First Victory of Season

Jacob deGrom threw 78 pitches in his second start of the season for the Texas Rangers. There is one he’d like to have back.

That one pitch cost him a potential decision in Monday’s game, which ended in 2-1 Rangers win against the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field.

In an otherwise terrific outing, he and Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh waged a 12-pitch battle in the first inning, one that Raleigh — who hit 60 home runs last season — got the better of when he nailed a 99.1 mph four-seam fastball and pulled it into the right field seats. It was a poorly located pitch, right over the middle of the plate.

Cal Raleigh's 1st home run of the season came on the 12th pitch of the at-bat.

The 12 pitches seen are tied for the 2nd-most pitches in an at-bat before a home run in @Mariners history (also: Mike Cameron, 8/1/00 vs. BOS), trailing only Raúl Ibañez (13 pitches, 6/3/13 vs. CWS) https://t.co/hmz60VKkf6
— Mariners PR (@MarinersPR) April 7, 2026

It was the second home run he’s allowed this season, something deGrom struggled with in the second half of last season. He finished in 2025 by allowing 26 home runs, the second-most he gave up in a single season.

Otherwise, the right-hander was near-perfect.

Jacob deGrom’s Mostly Brilliant Night

Jacob deGrom: 5 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K, 78 pitches.

Much more effective night. The one hit was a homer and it's the second homer he's allowed in two starts. That 12-pitch battle with Raleigh probably cost him an inning — and a decision. pic.twitter.com/fQa6KVl3fS
— Matthew Postins (@PostinsPostcard) April 7, 2026

After he allowed the home run, he allowed two more baserunners. In the second inning he walked Luke Raley. From there, deGrom retired 10 of the next 11 batters he faced, as Julio Rodriguez reached first base on an error by Rangers third baseman Josh Jung.

He only threw five innings and 78 pitches. But he struck out six batters and allowed only one earned run.

deGrom leaned into his four-seam fastball on Monday, as he threw it 56% of the time, or 44 of his 78 pitches. He threw 36 of those 44 fastballs to left-handed hitters and he averaged 96.6 mph with the pitch. That fastball induced 23 swings, eight called strikes and eight of the 14 whiffs he recorded. Five of his six strikeouts came on fastballs.

His slider, which averaged 90.7 mph, was his best secondary pitch. He threw it 22 times, inducing 13 swings and one called strike. Mariners batters whiffed at the pitch six times, and his other strikeout came on the slider.

Now, his next start bears monitoring, as MLB.com's Kennedi Landry and other beat writers reported that deGrom had an issue with his knee during pre-game and that's part of the reason he only went five innings.

“My right knee just felt a little funny throwing. It kind of stayed the same throughout the game," he said. "We were contemplating the sixth. I said I can do it. We decided to just make sure it's fine."

deGrom’s next start will likely come with an extra day of rest. The Rangers have an off-day on Thursday before they embark on a three-city, 10-game road trip to face the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Athletics and the Mariners. If the Rangers stay on rotation, deGrom will face Dodgers on Sunday on an extra day of rest and then the Mariners on Friday on normal rest.