Texas Rangers ace Jacob deGrom made MLB history on Sunday by becoming the fastest pitcher ever to reach 1,800 career strikeouts, accomplishing the feat in just 240 games and 1,493 1/3 innings. He passed Hall of Famer Randy Johnson (243 games) and Chris Sale (1,498 innings) to claim the record. DeGrom achieved the milestone by striking out Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford in the second inning.
However, the celebration was overshadowed by a tough divisional loss to the Seattle Mariners, as the Rangers dropped another game in a crucial series. DeGrom downplayed his personal achievement, focusing instead on the team’s struggles.
“We needed that one,” deGrom told MLB.com. “After losing the first two, we at least needed to split. I didn’t throw well — that’s on me. Now we need to regroup at home and get back on track.”
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy acknowledged the challenge of the 2-5 road trip, which included stops in Anaheim and Seattle. “We’ve had some tough losses,” Bochy said. “Today was another one. Jacob didn’t have his usual command. It just wasn’t his day, and this road trip didn’t go our way.”
With 49 games left in the regular season, Texas sits at 58-55, two games behind Seattle for the final AL wild-card spot. Since the Rangers have lost every head-to-head series against the Mariners this year, they must finish ahead in the standings outright to claim the spot.
On the bright side, the Rangers still have time — and new pitching reinforcements — to rally for a postseason push and potentially make another deep run in October.
