Jacob deGrom has ignominious night on 38th birthday
Friday was Jacob deGrom night at Globe Life Field, celebrating the pitcher’s 38th birthday complete with bobbleheads for the fans. deGrom became the first pitcher 38 or older to make a start for the Rangers on his birthday, helping the Rangers win 9-7.
The night wasn’t much of a celebration for the pitcher after giving up five runs in the first inning, including the first grand slam of his career. He also hadn’t given up a run to the San Diego Padres since 2019, going 20 innings without giving up a run.
Despite the slow start, deGrom lasted six innings, giving up only one more run, a solo homer in the fourth.
Rangers manager Skip Schumaker didn’t want deGrom’s slow start to overtake the comeback he had on the night. “He gave up five but then only gave up one the rest of the way, and that shows who Jacob deGrom is as well. I mean it could have gone two innings and then we’re up the creek. So the fact that he ended up going six innings was gigantic in the stretch,” Schumaker said.
He threw nine strikeouts and 106 pitches, the most in a game with the Rangers. His previous record was at 103 pitches thrown against the Yankees in 2025. This was the first time deGrom has won on his birthday, losing in 2015 and 2016.
“I did a terrible job in the first and the goal was to just go as many innings as I could,” deGrom said. “Obviously didn’t have a very good first inning and then to come back and take the lead in the bottom of the first was big. And then I gave it back up, and then they got the lead again. So those guys did a great job of battling.”
The Rangers’ offense finally found its spark in the first inning. After being outscored 9-0 in their past three games, they once again were struggling on defense after giving up five runs in the top of the first, including the grand slam.
“The comeback was what this team needed to show that they can do, and they’re capable of doing this especially when the crooked number is given up in the first because that’s going to happen again,” Schumaker said.
The Rangers answered with six runs of their own and went through their entire batting order. The last time the Rangers scored more than five runs in an inning was a win against the Houston Astros on May 26, when Texas scored eight runs in the first inning.
The offense didn’t stop for the Rangers, adding three more runs, including a home run in the bottom of the eighth from Wyatt Langford to seal the win and snap a three-game losing streak.
The Rangers will look to continue their momentum Saturday as the series continues against the Padres.
This story was originally published June 19, 2026 at 10:17 PM.
