$185M Rangers star achieves elite milestone shared by Randy Johnson, Nolan Ryan

After two Injury-riddled seasons, veteran Texas Rangers ace Jacob deGrom is starting to show his worth on the mound. The two-time Cy Young winner was in impeccable form in the Rangers' 10-3 win over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday.

Making his eighth start of the season in the second game of the series against Detroit, DeGrom went five innings deep for the visitors. He struck out 10 hitters during his stay on the mound, all of them coming in the first four innings.

It was the fourth time the All-Star registered 10 strikeouts through four innings, joining an elite list. MLB icons Randy Johnson and Nolan Ryan are the only other pitchers to achieve the feat more than four times with Johnson (5) and Ryan (4).

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Jacob deGrom, signed to a $185 million contract, made just nine starts in his previous two seasons combined. However, he seems to be over his injury struggles this year.

Rangers manager happy with Jacob deGrom finally getting over his Injury woes

Jacob deGrom's last start before the game against Detroit was against the Seattle Mariners last Sunday. He conceded a run after five innings of work in an 8-1 win for the Rangers. Manager Bruce Bochy hailed the veteran ace for finding his groove on the mound.

"It was just another great start, maybe not quite as sharp, but he gave up one run in five innings," Bruce Bochy said. "He worked a little harder today, but he's just so good. He's obviously a tremendous pitcher, with his command and everything and the poise. It's good to see him healthy and just throwing the ball the way he is."

The former Rookie of the Year arguably had his best game of the season against the Athletics last month when he pitched six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts. The Rangers will hope that Jacob deGrom can remain healthy for the season after a tough start to the campaign this year.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash