Answers escape Jacob deGrom as hitters continue to punish Ranger ace's 'terrible' fastball
DeGrom was pounded for a second straight outing in Texas' loss to Los Angeles on Friday night.
Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob Degrom throws to first in an attempt to get Los Angeles Angels' Mike Trout off base during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) (Mark J.
Terrill/AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) ANAHEIM, Calif. — His teammates unanimously selected his four-seam fastball as the nastiest pitch on the roster when polled two months ago.
They used "dart," "video game," and "elite" to describe it. There were frankly few better words to describe a weapon that'd helped net a pair of Cy Young Awards and built the foundation of a Hall of Fame-caliber career. The ace in question chose a different descriptor Friday night.
"Terrible," right-handed pitcher Jacob deGrom said. He used it to summarize his performance as a whole, but in a 9-6 loss to the Los Angeles Angels at Angels Stadium, his performance was directly tied to his fastball. The Angels pounced on it, tagged deGrom for six runs, chased him after three innings and extended a trend in which the 37-year-old's money pitch has been anything but.
Continue to the original source for the full article.