Jacob deGrom looked like a Cy Young ace again, yet the Rangers still came up empty

After a second Tommy John Surgery that kept Jacob deGrom sidelined for the majority of the 2023 and 2024 seasons, the two-time Cy Young award winner was able to stay healthy and pitch an entire season without any setbacks in 2025.

He did it at an elite clip, making his 30th start on Wednesday against the Minnesota Twins. It is the first time he has made more than 15 starts in six years. His 172 2/3 innings and 185 strikeouts are far and away his best totals in that timeframe.

The big right-hander looked like the younger, dominant pitcher with his patented hard, snapping slider, a filthy change-up and routinely gassing up the fastball to 100 mph. Unfortunately, injuries and the offense's hot and cold duality didn't allow the Rangers to capitalize on what was a terrific comeback season for deGrom.

Jacob deGrom's brilliance was wasted by the Rangers' inconsistency at the plate

deGrom's final start was a microcosm of what has plagued the team the entire season as the offense could muster just a single run in support against a struggling Twins staff. It left deGrom with a no-decision as he exited a 1-1 tie after five innings.

Over the first half of the season, the lineup gave deGrom solid run support as he dashed out to a 9-2 record with a 2.13 ERA at the All-Star Break. Even as the Rangers struggled to score consistently, he was in the thick of the Cy Young race with Tarik Skubal and Garrett Crochet. But in the last three months, the runs have been much harder to come by, and his record since the break is an un-deGrom-like 3-6.

In his final trip to the mound this season, deGrom came out as sharp as ever. Despite giving up a leadoff homer to Byron Buxton, the fireballer recovered to strike out eight over the first four innings.

The Rangers were held hitless and scoreless through the first 2 2/3 until Josh Smith yanked a homer into the right field seats in the bottom of the fourth. It was Smith's first home run in almost two months.

deGrom hasn't been as sharp over the last month

In a sign that the long season was possibly wearing on deGrom, he wasn't quite as effective in August and September allowing 13 earned runs in 27 1/3 innings.

You can understand that he hasn't had the chance to build up the stamina necessary to approach 175 innings pitched in such a long time. Hopefully, it is a precursor for 2026, when he'll be ready for an even bigger workload.

Nevertheless, as the Rangers leak fuel on the way to the finish line this season, deGrom's 12-8 mark, 2.97 ERA, and 0.92 WHIP, the first qualified pitcher in franchise history with a sub-1.00 WHIP, will likely garner a top 5 Cy Young finish. It is a major bright spot in an otherwise disappointing campaign overall.