ARLINGTON — If anything, Rangers right-hander Jacob deGrom thought, the discomfort he felt in his right knee forced him to “stay under control” in his second start this season.
“I was trying not to do too much,” deGrom said. “I didn’t want to aggravate it anymore. Moving around now, I feel okay. It’s a little tender, but I think we’ll be okay.”
The lone run he allowed came at the conclusion of a 12-pitch at bat vs. Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh in the first inning. Raleigh fell behind early, worked a full count and fouled off seven pitches before he blasted a 99.1 mph fastball into the right field seats for a solo home run.
“He laid off some good pitches, fouled off some good pitches, and I made a mistake over the middle of the plate,” deGrom said. “I think I have to tip my hat to him there. That was a great at-bat. Unfortunately he got me, but we were able to win the game.”
The two-time Cy Young award winner needed 24 pitches in the first inning but not more than 18 in any of his next four. The Rangers lifted him after 78 pitches because, per Schumaker, “I wasn’t going to push it.”
“He’s been doing this for such a long time at an elite level, and in my book, he’s a future Hall of Famer for a reason,” Schumaker said. “He was just pretty electric today.”