Welcome to Texas: Jacob deGrom got BBQ’d in his Rangers debut

The Texas Rangers’ huge free agent signing, Jacob deGrom, was shelled by the Philadelphia Phillies in his debut with the team on Opening Day.

The Texas Rangers‘ goal was to bolster their starting rotation for the 2023 season, so they could begin contending out of the AL West division.

Their big move of the offseason was signing two-time Cy Young winner and New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom to a five-year, $185 million contract.

It was a gutsy move for the Rangers, as deGrom has dealt with a variety of injuries over the years, but when he’s healthy, he’s one of the best pitchers in the game.

On Thursday, deGrom got the opening day start for the Rangers, as they took on the defending National League champions, the Philadelphia Phillies. deGrom, well, didn’t make a strong first impression.

deGrom lasted just 3.2 innings, where he surrendered five earned runs on six hits, while striking out seven on 73 pitches. That gave deGrom a hefty 12.27 ERA. Not just that, but deGrom surrendered six extra base hits in a start for the very first time of his career.

Jacob deGrom gets shelled in Rangers debut

While deGrom retired Philadelphia’s first three batters in the first inning, he fell off of a cliff after that. In the second inning, deGrom surrendered a two-run homer to Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm. In the third, he gave up an RBI triple to shortstop Trea Turner, and threw a wild pitch that allowed him to score. Finally, deGrom was credited with a fifth-earned run on RBI double to outfielder Brandon Marsh, surrendered by Cole Ragans in the fourth inning.

Despite deGrom putting the Rangers in a 5-0 hole, they didn’t lose the game. Texas managed to pick up the 11-7 victory after a nine-run fourth inning. So immediately after getting pulled and getting no run support, deGrom watched his teammates score nine runs in the bottom of the frame.

While deGrom did get bailed out of a loss in his very first start with the Rangers, his performance was far from inspiring. Rangers fans will wait and see how he performs in his next start, which will likely take place in next weeks’ three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles.