It only took 2 innings for the Angels to end Jacob deGrom's historic Rangers streak

In what was expected to be a marquee duel between two American League All-Star starting pitchers, the Rangers and Angels offenses proved that there's a reason games are not played on paper. Yusei Kikuchi toed the rubber opposite Texas' Jacob deGrom in the first game of a critical four-game series between division rivals vying for a wild card spot. The two teams are separated by a half game in the standings, meaning every run scored is critical in determining the outcome of these games...especially in a game like this between two dominant starters.

Kikuchi allowed a two-run home run to Corey Seager in the top of the first inning, and nobody would have blamed an Angels fan for turning the game off then and there. deGrom being given a two-run lead is a win for his team 99 times out of 100 (or so it seems), especially given the insane run the all-time great is on.

However, Zach Neto set the tone for what was to come when he began the bottom of the first inning with a double. It was the first extra base hit to lead off a game against deGrom since Detroit's Kerry Carpenter collected one on May 10th. Two batters later, Mike Trout scored Neto on a sacrifice fly. The very next inning, Jorge Soler clobbered a 111.3mph double, which was the highest exit velocity on a hit off deGrom’s four seamer this year. Two batters later, Travis d'Arnaud crushed a two-run home run off his former New York Mets battery mate.

Do you know how hard it is to score three runs off deGoat, let alone in the first two innings of a game?

It only took 2 innings for the Angels to end Jacob deGrom's historic Rangers streak

deGrom had allowed two earned runs or fewer in each of his last 14 starts, tied for the longest streak by any starter this season. The streak dated back to April 18th and ran until July 1st. That streak, which is no longer active thanks to the Halos, was the longest by any MLB starter this season. Atlanta's Chris Sale has an active streak of 11 straight starts of allowing only two or fewer earned runs, which ranks second to deGrom's right now, but he will not make another start until roughly late-August. New York's Max Fried had an 11-start streak of allowing two earned runs or fewer from March 29th until May 24th.

Furthermore, deGrom's streak was the longest of his career, and his longest since a 13-start run in 2021. In Rangers history, no starting pitcher had a longer in-season streak of allowing two or fewer earned runs than deGrom's 14-gamer. Barry Moore once had a 12-game streak in 1968, which is the second longest in franchise history.

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