DeGrom fails to record a strikeout in career first

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Jacob deGrom had a commencement similar nary different helium has ever had successful the large leagues. The two-time Cy Young Award victor didn't onslaught retired a batter for the archetypal clip successful his career.

"I really didn't cognize that. I heard it erstwhile I walked inside, but they were assertive early," deGrom said aft going 5⅓ innings for the Texas Rangers successful his 229th vocation game, a 2-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays connected Monday.

According to Elias Sports Bureau research, deGrom's 228 vocation games with a strikeout to commencement his vocation marked the 10th-longest streak by immoderate pitcher since the mound was moved to its existent region successful 1893. The lone progressive players with longer specified streaks are Aaron Nola (277) and Zack Wheeler (270). Dwight Gooden's streak of 349 consecutive appearances with a strikeout to commencement his vocation is the longest specified streak implicit that span.

It was the archetypal nonaccomplishment successful the past 7 starts for the 36-year-old deGrom (4-2), who has made 11 starts wide this play aft missing astir of the past 2 years pursuing his 2nd Tommy John surgery.

Daulton Varsho deed a solo homer successful the archetypal inning, and the lone different tally deGrom gave up came connected a sacrifice fly. He gave up 5 hits and walked 2 earlier manager Bruce Bochy pulled him successful the sixth aft 81 pitches.

"They were putting a batch of balls successful play early. So I was like, ohio man, I mightiness beryllium capable to spell heavy successful this crippled ... let's spot however heavy I tin spell successful this and effort to support them disconnected the board," deGrom said. "Fighting myself, started yanking the ball, walked a mates guys, conscionable wasn't precise efficient."

Meanwhile, Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman threw 72 of his 96 pitches for strikes -- with first-pitch strikes to 26 of the 29 batters helium faced for a career-high 89.7%. His archetypal 14 pitches were strikes, and helium needed lone 12 of those to get done the archetypal 2 innings.

Gausman (5-4) struck retired six successful 8 innings, with each of his punchouts coming aft Wyatt Langford's one-out homer successful the fourth. Two of the strikeouts came erstwhile the right-hander retired 3 consecutive batters aft Texas opened the 5th with back-to-back bloop singles.

"We got immoderate bully jam shots aboriginal successful the game," Gausman said. "Being capable to lb those guys truthful aboriginal successful the crippled in, it opened up for them chasing aboriginal successful the game."

As for pulling deGrom successful a 2-1 game, Bochy said helium wanted to lighten the load connected a pitcher who threw 103 pitches implicit 7 innings against the New York Yankees past Wednesday and astatine slightest 90 pitches successful each of his 2 starts earlier that.

"He's been moving beauteous hard," Bochy said. "It's what we thought this crippled would be, a choky ballgame, 2 really, truly bully pitchers going retired there. They came retired connected the bully end. ... Jacob was good, their feline was truly good."

DeGrom has 1,728 vocation strikeouts, and entered Monday's crippled with a 30.9% vocation strikeout rate. He had aggregate strikeouts successful each but 1 of his erstwhile 228 starts, astatine Philadelphia connected Sept. 16, 2020, erstwhile helium had lone 1 strikeout earlier exiting aft 2 innings due to the fact that of a close hamstring spasm. That was 10 days aft helium struck retired 12 Phillies successful a game.

There are nary carnal issues this time, and deGrom said helium hasn't adjacent thought astir his workload -- 63⅓ innings done 11 starts. He threw lone 64⅓ innings during his last play with the New York Mets successful 2022, erstwhile helium didn't marque his archetypal large league commencement until Aug. 2 aft being unopen down precocious successful outpouring grooming due to the fact that of a accent absorption successful his close scapula.

The right-hander threw lone 41 innings combined the past 2 seasons aft signing a $185 million, five-year declaration with Texas successful escaped agency.

"I consciousness good. I was conscionable warring myself today, flying open," deGrom said. "It's thing I've been moving connected astir each start. And today, it benignant of took a measurement successful the incorrect direction. So I wasn't capable to truly find down and transportation disconnected that with my slider."

ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.