Jacob deGrom shows old form in dominant Rangers spring training debu

Jacob deGrom hit the mound running on Saturday. In his 2025 spring training debut, the Rangers ace to sed two flawle s innings, striking out three batters while not allowing a baserunner. DeGrom looked like his usual self at Surprise Stadium in Arizona, topping out at 98 mph on his fastball while making hitters look foolish with his slider and curveball. In the first inning, deGrom punched out 2024 American League MVP runner-up Bobby Witt Jr. on four pitches, getting him to whiff on a 91.5 mph slider way outside the strike zone for strike three. Jacob deGrom of the Texas Rangers throws during a spring training workout at Surprise Stadium on February 12, 2025 in Surprise, Arizona. Getty Images I felt good, deGrom said after the start, We took it a little Washington Nationals Jersey slow this spring, but getting out there obviously is a big plus. I was able to locate it pretty well. Explore More The slider was good. I threw a couple curveballs, the fastball was good. Everything felt good. The main thing is health, and Im looking forward to getting back out there. The righty is hoping for a healthy 2025 after being limited to just three starts late last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023. The right-hander flamethrower seeks to get through his first fully healthy season since the abbreviated 2020 campaign. Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Anaheim, Calif. AP The former Met is expected to be the , allowing him to get an extra day of rest for each of his first five starts. Injuries have hampered deGrom in recent seasons, limiting him to just 35 starts over the last four years, including just nine since signing a . When healthy, deGrom has been one of the best pitchers in baseball, if not ever. Over 218 career starts, deGrom has posted a 2.52 ERA with a whopping 1,666 strikeouts in just 1,367 innings. His 5.41 strikeout-to-walk ratio is the all-time MLB record. DeGrom won back-to-back National League Cy Young Awards for the Mets in 2018 and 19 and has received votes for the award in four additional seasons. Gerardo Parra Jersey