SEATTLE (AP) — Texas Rangers right-hander Jacob deGrom struck out four in 3 2/3 scoreless innings at Seattle on Friday night in his return from Tommy John surgery.
“I told (a teammate) I'm like a baby deer out here: ‘I don’t know what I’m doing,’" deGrom said. “I almost fell over. I had quite a bit of nerves, so getting back out there was big. My legs were shaking a little bit.”
DeGrom allowed two hits in the fourth and was removed after he retired Jorge Polanco on a flyball to center. Walter Pennington then came in and got J.P. Crawford to bounce to second, leaving runners on the corners.
The 36-year-old deGrom threw 61 pitches, 41 for strikes, in his first major league appearance since April 28, 2023. The two-time NL Cy Young Award winner allowed four hits and walked none.
He graded his performance as a C.
“It’s big to get out and pitch in a major league game, so you don’t feel like you’re in rehab mode for two straight years,” deGrom said. “And now let’s just try to get things back where they were executing pitches like you normally do and get ready to play next year.”
DeGrom agreed to a $185 million, five-year contract with Texas in December 2022 after beginning his big league career with the New York Mets. He made six starts for the Rangers last year before he got hurt.
He had surgery to replace the ligament in his elbow in June 2023. He also had the same procedure in 2010 while in the minor leagues.
DeGrom allowed Victor Robles' leadoff infield single in the first, but got out of the inning with the help of two strikeouts. After hitting Luke Raley to lead off the second, he induced three easy popouts to the edge of the infield. In the third, he deflected a Robles liner back to the mound with his glove, and then made the throw for the out.
Manager Bruce Bochy said he saw nothing that concerned him about the performance.
I wanted to see “exactly what I saw: the fastball, the velocity, the slider,” Bochy said. “He threw some changeups, used all his pitches. That’s what you want to see, just somebody that’s healthy out there.”
DeGrom made four rehab starts for Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock, allowing one earned run over 10 2/3 innings for a 0.84 ERA. He struck out 15 batters and walked one.
Bochy said he'll install a six-man rotation the rest of the season to make room for deGrom and Max Scherzer, who makes his return Saturday.
“The goal for the next two is to really dial things in,” deGrom said. “And then you can treat it like a normal offseason.”
Texas Rangers' Jacob deGrom delivers against the Seattle Mariners during a baseball game Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Seattle. (Dean Rutz/The Seattle Times via AP)
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Mark Stone had a goal and two assists and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Seattle Kraken 6-2 on Saturday night.
After falling behind 1-0 less than three minutes into the game, the Golden Knights scored three unanswered goals in the first period and never relinquished the lead.
After Keegan Kolesar tied the game at 1-all, Brett Howden took Jack Eichel’s pass from behind the net and beat Philipp Grubauer at the doorstep to give Vegas a one-goal edge. Nic Hague's goal later in the period put Vegas up, 3-1.
William Karlsson and Noah Hanifin also added goals in the third and Ilya Samsonov stopped 21 shots to improve to 8-3-1. Eichel finished with two assists.
Vince Dunn and Jaden Schwartz scored for Seattle while Grubauer made 29 saves and fell to 3-10-0.
Kraken: Center Chandler Stephenson made his first return to Vegas since signing with Seattle as a free agent during the offseason. Stephenson is the only NHL player to hoist the Stanley Cup twice in Vegas, winning inside T-Mobile Arena with Washington in 2018, and again with the Knights in 2023.
Golden Knights: Vegas has won three straight and seven of eight in December. With the win, the Knights (47) are now four points in front of Los Angeles (43) in the Pacific Division and two points shy of Western Conference-leading Winnipeg (49).
Trailing 1-0, Kolesar took a cross-ice pass from Victor Olofsson that led him perfectly on a breakaway. Kolesar’s snipe over Grubauer’s glove gave him his career-high eighth goal of the season.
Seattle is now 1-17-1 when trailing after two periods while Vegas improved to 12-1-0 when leading after the first 40 minutes.
The Knights host the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night. The Kraken visit the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL
Vegas Golden Knights centers Brett Howden (21) and Jack Eichel (9) celebrate after Howden's goal against the Seattle Kraken during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)
Seattle Kraken center Yanni Gourde (37) and Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Noah Hanifin (15) battle for the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Keegan Kolesar (55) and right wing Cole Schwindt (22) celebrate after Kolesar's goal against the Seattle Kraken during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Seattle Kraken center Yanni Gourde shoots against Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb (3) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Seattle Kraken center Chandler Stephenson (9) shoots against Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Ilya Samsonov (35) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Keegan Kolesar (55) celebrates after scoring a goal against the Seattle Kraken during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)
