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)
Australia faces the most daunting road trip in Asia on Tuesday when it faces a dominant Japan at Saitama Stadium, knowing a win would put the Socceroos back on track for a sixth successive World Cup appearance after a mixed start in the third round of qualification.
The Group C meeting is also a chance for new coach Tony Popovic, appointed in September to replace Graham Arnold, to make a statement win in his second game in charge and cross swords with a former team-mate.
Popovic played for Japanese club Sanfrecce Hiroshima from 1997 to 2001 alongside Hajime Moriyasu – now coach of Japan. “I know their head coach very well; he was my captain during my time in Japan. A remarkable person who has dedicated years to developing the national team,” said Popovic.
Japan is on course for an eighth successive World Cup appearance with three wins against China, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, scoring 14 goals and conceding none.
“This is undoubtedly a significant challenge, but it also presents a fantastic opportunity to etch our name in history by winning in Japan,” Popovic said after defeating China 3-1 in his first game in charge on Thursday, a result that took Australia to four points in the group, five behind Japan.
The top two teams from each of the three groups of six qualify automatically for the 2026 World Cup with the third and fourth place finishers advancing to the next stage.
Like Australia, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have four points and meet in Jeddah, while winless China hosts Indonesia at home.
The top two in Group B meet as South Korea hosts Iraq with both teams on seven points. The game has been switched to the city of Yongin, due to the poor condition of the playing surface at Seoul World Cup Stadium.
South Korea will be without English Premier League stars Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan of Wolverhampton Wanderers due to injury.
Third-placed Jordan hosts Oman in fourth while the bottom two meet as the Palestinians take on Kuwait with both looking for a first win.
In Group A, Uzbekistan and Iran are top with seven points each. Iran will host fourth-place Qatar in Dubai, due to the security situation at home while Uzbekistan takes on the United Arab Emirates in third.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Australia's Nishan Velupillay, second left, is congratulated by teammate Riley McGree after scoring his team's third goal during the World Cup 2026 Group C qualifying soccer match between Australia and China at Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, Australia, Thursday Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
Australia's coach Tony Popovic gestures during the World Cup 2026 Group C qualifying soccer match between Australia and China at Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, Australia, Thursday Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/James Elsby)
