Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob deGrom heads to the dugout after pitching to the Athletics during the fifth inning of a baseball game Monday, Aug. 31, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Julio Cortez/AP Photo/Julio Cortez
ARLINGTON — Sometimes, it’s as simple as this: Your best, highest-paid players need to perform.
Look no further than Jacob deGrom.
If the Texas Rangers are going to win the remarkably underwhelming race for the AL West crown or the final AL wild card spot, they’re going to need their ace to pitch like an ace down the stretch.
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Coming off a ghastly start last week in Chicago against the White Sox that included what was statistically the worst inning of his career, deGrom looked more like a two-time Cy Young winner Monday night at Globe Life Field. In fact, deGrom delivered what was arguably his best start of the season as he authored seven shutout innings, allowed just one hit, struck out eight batters and didn’t walk any hitters in the Rangers’ 8-1 win over the Athletics.
Oh, by the way, the one hit was a second-inning single that was immediately erased with a double play. He faced the minimum 21 batters in his outing, which was the second time in his storied career he’d faced the minimum through seven frames.
“I felt like today was going to be a really good day, just because he was so mad at what happened in the last start,” manager Skip Schumaker said after the game. “And when you have a competitor like Jacob who is pretty upset at the previous game or previous start, you knew that he was going to come in with a different type of mentality and be on the attack, and that’s exactly what he did.”
It was apparent Schumaker wasn’t the only one in the clubhouse who anticipated a terrific outing from deGrom.
“It’s special,” first baseman Jake Burger said. “Just watching him cruise like that and doing his thing, it’s why he’s one of the greats. We kind of expected it after his start in Chicago. We knew he was going to come back and be clicking on all cylinders today.”
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With Texas sitting two games behind Houston for first place in the AL West and two games out the last wild card spot entering Monday’s action, the Rangers’ ace started an incredibly crucial homestand on a high note.
DeGrom and Schumaker both attributed Monday’s success to increased sinker usage as the latest tweak to his pitch mix, but beyond that, deGrom said he was simply on the same page with catcher Danny Jansen all night and got back to the basics: Hit the glove and throw strikes.
“We mixed it up throughout the night and were able to throw strikes. I think that was the biggest thing. Just location, being ahead and going right after guys, so that’s what I knew I needed to do, and I was trying to do, and the last one just wasn’t able to. So came in and was just really trying to see how many times I could try to hit the glove tonight.”
It was a big bounce-back start for deGrom, whose final tally last week in Chicago included eight earned runs and five walks. With less than 25 games to go, every single game is crucial and the 38-year-old veteran is keenly aware of that.
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“I’m pretty frustrated after most rough starts, but that one was really bad,” deGrom said. “Especially you know it’s the time that we can’t afford to have those kind of starts and for me, that really bothered me. We needed to go out there and win games there, and I had an absolute terrible start. So needed to turn the page and prepare for this one, and hopefully moving forward can continue to throw the ball how I expect to.”
DeGrom’s effort was a big-time outing for a team in desperate need of wins down the stretch, especially with how tightly contested the race for the final AL wild card spot is. After Monday’s games, there are four teams (Cleveland, Baltimore, Texas and Toronto) vying for that final playoff spot that are within a game-and-a-half of each other. The Astros’ win over the White Sox kept the Rangers’ deficit in the AL West at two games.
With every game now carrying so much weight, having an extra motivated deGrom looking to rebound from an ugly start was a welcome sight to Schumaker and the rest of the clubhouse.
“It’s not a prove people wrong type of thing, he was just so upset about what happened in in Chicago that you knew it was gonna it was gonna be a good day, and I couldn’t wait to watch him, and it was exactly what I was hoping for,” Schumaker said.
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Schumaker and the Rangers will be hoping for more of that from their staff ace as the lights get brighter and the games get bigger in September.
They’ll certainly need it.