Jacob deGrom strikes out four times in his first start after his second Tommy John surgery against the Mariners

For the first time since April 28, two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom took the field in a major league game on Friday night. The Texas Rangers right-hander threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park (GameTracker) in his first game since his second Tommy John surgery. DeGrom struck out four players and threw 61 pitches despite being on a pitch limit.

Here is deGrom's first strikeout in his first start off the injured list:

Friday's performance was deGrom's classic performance. His fastball was 97.2 mph and topped out at 98.7 mph, and his slider was 89.7 mph. The Mariners' hitters have the highest strikeout rate in baseball and it showed on Friday. They struck out on 31 of deGrom's 61 pitches and missed 10 times, for an incredible 32.2% whiff rate. The MLB average is 25.2%.

DeGrom made four minor league rehab starts in preparation for his return to the major leagues and was dominant in those four starts, striking out 15 and allowing one run on four hits and one walk in 10 2/3 innings. He increased his pitching total from 29 pitches in his first rehab start to 49 pitches in his fourth, hence the tight pitching limit on Friday.

The Rangers are 7.5 games out of the third wild-card spot and will likely miss the postseason. Sitting deGrom out for the season rather than using him in meaningless games seems reasonable, even though playing in major league games is an important milestone in rehab. Now deGrom has checked that box and can enter the offseason with peace of mind.

“It feels like it was a long time ago, but once rehab started or the transition from live batting practice to rehab started, we saw light at the end of the tunnel,” deGrom said earlier this week (via the Associated Press). “And then to finally get here, it's going to be an exciting day for me.”

DeGrom, 36, is in the second year of his five-year, $185 million contract. Before his elbow gave out last year, he had a 2.65 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 30 1/3 innings over six starts. From 2018-2023, deGrom pitched a 2.08 ERA with 921 strikeouts in 675 23 MLB innings. He won the NL Cy Young Award in 2018 and 2019.

Numerous injuries, including forearm problems and a stress reaction in the shoulder, limited deGrom to 26 starts with the New York Mets from 2021 to 2022. He signed his free agent contract with the Rangers in December 2022. DeGrom underwent his first Tommy John surgery as a minor leaguer in October 2010.

The Rangers currently have a six-man rotation, and if he stays with it, deGrom would have two more starts: on September 20 against the Mariners at Globe Life Field and on the road against the Los Angeles Angels on September 27.