KANSAS CITY ROYALS NOTES:
A NIGHT TO FORGET: The Royals suffered an 11-2 loss last night in Arlington, losing a 2nd straight game after beginning this trip with back-to-back wins…they jumped out to an early lead in the 1st inning, when Salvador Perez reached on a two-base error that scored Bobby Witt Jr…but with runners at second and third and only 1 out, Andrew Heaney struck out back-to-back batters to escape the threat that began a run of 9 consecutive strikeouts, matching an American League record…he retired 12 straight until the 5th, when he stranded a pair and exited with 10 strikeouts, 2 walks and 2 hits allowed over 5.0 innings…Zack Greinke also completed 5.0 innings, but allowed 4 runs (3 ER) on 6 hits and 1 walk…Greinke exited with a 4-1 deficit in the 6th, when Dylan Coleman retired only two of the eight batters he faced and was charged with 6 runs on 2 hits and 4 walks…Texas broke the game wide open with a 7-run frame, capped by a grand slam by Adolis García.
GOLDEN ARM: Nate Eaton pitched the 8th inning last night to mark his 1st career pitching appearance, though he made 28 pitching appearances in college at the Virginia Military Institute, and it showed last night…he topped out at 94.9 mph and became the 17th different position player to pitch for the Royals, and his strikeout of García to end the inning made him the sixth player among the group to record a strikeout. Ê Eaton also flashed his arm strength in the field last night, throwing out Corey Seager at first base in the 5th inning on a groundball to right field…according to Elias, it was the first 9-3 groundout turned by the Royals on defense in 12 years, since Sept. 7, 2011, when right fielder Jeff Francoeur fielded a groundball and threw to first baseman Eric Hosmer to retire Oakland’s Michael Taylor…Seager was actually thrown out on the bases twice last night, as Jackie Bradley Jr. cut him down at the plate in the 3rd inning… the Royals now lead the Majors with 5 outfield assists this season, after recording 22 all of last season.
Not only did Eaton show his defensive and pitching prowess last night, but he also singled in the 5th to snap Andrew Heaney’s streak of 12 straight retired batters and ended his 0-for-15 skid to begin the year.
JUST KEEP SWINGING: Kansas City’s offensive woes continued last night, as they were held to 2 runs on 4 hits and went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position…they rank last in the Majors in batting average (.179), on-base percentage (.248) and runs per game (2.6) and rank 29th in slugging percentage (.311) and OPS (.559).
The Royals also rank last in the Majors with a .154 average (12-for-78) with runners in scoring position, and half of their hits in scoring situations came on April 3 vs. Toronto…in their other 10 games, they are 6-for-62 (.097) with 2 extra-base hits, and in 4 games on this trip, they’re 3-for-24 in scoring situations.
Despite the lack of results, some of the advanced metrics suggest promise in the Royals offensive approach…Baseball Savant, for example, ranks the Royals tied for 2nd in average exit velocity (91.0 mph), trailing the Dodgers (92.1 mph)…FanGraphs’ measure of Hard Hit Rate (balls with an exit velocity of 95.0 mph or greater) ranks the Royals 2nd in the Majors at 47.6%, trailing only the Dodgers (51.0%).
The Royals rank last in MLB with a .218 Batting Average on Balls in Play and are hitting .567 on line drives— 2nd worst in the Majors and well below the league average of .657—which suggests better luck ahead.
STEALING STRIKES: Pitch framing was an area of emphasis during Spring Training, and new Bench Coach Paul Hoover—who also works with the catchers—and new Pitching Coach Brian Sweeney brought some fresh ideas to the Royals, who ranked among the worst last season in pitch framing metrics…in particular, the Royals were 27th last season in “stealing strikes,” or called strikes that were outside the zone…but through the first 11 games this season and with the same two catchers, the Royals rank 5th in the Majors in this category.
DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS: The Royals and Rangers are meeting tonight for the second of 3 games this week…these teams will meet again next week at Kauffman Stadium, which means they’ll play 6 games vs. each other over 10 days…in fact, the Royals 6-game season series vs. the Rangers will end before the Royals play a game vs. three of their four division rivals, as they won’t see the White Sox until May 8, their 1st meeting with Detroit won’t come until May 22 and their 1st game vs. Cleveland is scheduled for June 27.
The Royals went 2-4 vs. the Rangers in 2022, losing their seventh straight season series since 2015, a stretch in which they are 13-35 (.271)—including last night’s loss—and have been outscored 243-157 (-86)…this includes a 12-game skid from July 23, 2016-July 15, 2017 in which they were shut out twice and outscored 47-22…the Royals are 4-19 (.174) vs. the Rangers in Texas since 2016, including a 7-game skid that was halted last May 11, which marked their only win at Globe Life Field, which opened in 2020.
These two franchises have played each other in six different ballparks, including Kansas City’s Municipal Stadium (1969-72) and Kauffman Stadium (1973-present), and RFK Memorial Stadium, where the Washington Senators played from 1962-71…the franchise became the Rangers in 1972 and played in Texas’ Arlington Stadium through 1993, before Globe Life Park was introduced in 1994…that ballpark still stands across the street from the new Globe Life Field, which opened in 2020 and is now in its fourth season.
ON DECK: Following tomorrow night’s 7:05 p.m. CT game, the Royals will fly back to Kansas City for an off day on Thursday, their first since March 31, which will snap a streak of 12 consecutive days with a game…the Royals will begin a 6-game homestand starting Friday night with the first of 3 games vs. the Braves, which will mark Atlanta’s fourth trip to Kauffman Stadium and first since 2019…the stay will end with 3 games vs. these Rangers next Monday through Wednesday, and the Royals will enjoy another off day next Thursday, April 20 before hitting the road for a season-long 10-game trip to Anaheim (3 games), Arizona (3) and Minnesota (4) to end the month.
Tomorrow night’s 7:05 p.m. start in Arlington will mark the first of 6 Royals getaway day games that will be played at night, although 4 of those games (including tomorrow night’s) will be followed by an off day…the others will come on May 30 at St. Louis (2 off days will follow), June 7 at Miami (off day after), July 5 at Minnesota (no off day after), Aug. 10 at Boston (no off day after) and Sept. 13 at the White Sox (off day after).
PACE OF PLAY: The new pitch timer rules implemented for 2023 have already produced dramatic results through the first 12 days of the regular season…through 146 games that have ended in 9 innings, the average game time has been 2 hours, 36 minutes, and only 16 of the 146 games (11.0%) have lasted at least 3 hours…the Royals 11 games have averaged 2 hours, 27 minutes, which is 9 minutes below the league average and is tied with the Twins for the 2nd-fastest average time this season, longer only that the Rays (2:26)…compared to 9-inning games across the Majors last season, average time of game is down 27 minutes, while batting averages are up from .243 to .248, runs per game are up from 8.6 to 9.3 and stolen base success rates have jumped from 75.4% to 81.5%…the current success rate of steals would shatter the Major League record set in 2021 at 75.7%.
TONIGHT’S STARTERS: RHP JORDAN LYLES (0-2, 4.91 ERA)
JORDAN LYLES is making his 3rd start of the season and 324th appearance (217th start) of his career tonight at Texas…he was originally selected by Houston in the 1st round (38th overall) of the 2008 Draft out of Hartsville High School (S.C.), and signed a two-year contract with the Royals on Dec. 28, 2022.
MIXED BAG VS. TORONTO: Lyles suffered a 6-3 loss to a white-hot Blue Jays offense last Thursday at Kauffman Stadium, in which he allowed 5 runs on 8 hits and no walks in 5.2 innings, with 9 strikeouts…he fell behind in the 1st inning following 3 straight 1-out hits, punctuated by a 2-run double by Matt Chapman…Toronto scored again in the 2nd, 4th and 5th innings before Lyles exited with 1 on and 2 outs in the 6th inning in favor of Amir Garrett, who stranded the inherited runner.
This marked the first time in his 13-year Major League career that Lyles recorded at least 9 strikeouts and no walks…only four times in his previous 215 career starts has he struck out more than 9, a feat he last accomplished in 2019.
For the 2nd consecutive start, the Royals offense failed to plate a single run of support for Lyles, who has exited both of his starts without the benefit of 1 run behind him (0-1, 0-5)…he is one of seven pitchers in the Majors to have made at least 2 starts in 2023 and have yet to receive at least 1 run of support.
2022 IN REVIEW: Lyles led the Orioles with a career-high 32 starts in his only season with Baltimore last year, which tied for the 3rd most in the American League…he matched a career high with 12 wins, the most by an Orioles pitcher since John Means had 12 in 2019, and the most by an Orioles right hander since Dylan Bundy had 13 in 2017…he matched a career high with 13 quality starts, also doing so in 2021.
Lyles eclipsed the 100-pitch threshold in 11 of his 32 starts (34.4%), tying him for 6th in the AL in 100-plus-pitch games, ahead of Justin Verlander and Shohei Ohtani, who both recorded 10 games of at least 100 pitches last season.
Pitching in the American League East for the first time in his career, Lyles struggled mightily vs. the Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Rays, going 6-7 with a 5.94 ERA (59 ER in 89.1 IP), and those teams combined to slash .301/.363/.523 (111-for-369) off him with 18 home runs…when facing all other opponents, Lyles was 6-4 with a 2.91 ERA (29 ER in 89.2 IP) and an opponents’ batting average of .249 (85-for-341) with just 8 homers allowed.
WALKING THE WALK: Jordan enters tonight’s start with a career 2.3 K/BB rate (1033/448), including a 2.80 BB/9 rate in 2021 and a 2.61 BB/9 rate in 2022…among pitchers with at least 60 starts since 2021, his BB/9 rate of 2.68 ranks 5th in the American League, trailing only Cole Irvin (2.05), Jameson Taillon (2.13), Gerrit Cole (2.19) and José Berríos (2.24).
SLOW TO START: Through the first eight seasons of his career (2011-18), only 115 of his 217 Major League outings (53.0%) were starts…but since the 2019 season, 101 of his 106 outings (95.3%) have been in a starting role, making him one of 21 pitchers to make at least 100 starts since 2019.
WORKHORSE: The Royals are the eighth club Lyles has played for at the Major League level and he has played in parts of now 13 seasons with Houston (2011-13), Colorado (2014-17), San Diego (2017-18), Milwaukee (2018-19), Pittsburgh (2019), Texas (2020-21), Baltimore (2022) and Kansas City (2023)… since the beginning of 2021, his 370.0 innings rank 4th among American League pitchers, including a career-high 180.0 innings with Texas in 2021.
He was one of only four pitchers in the AL to record at least 175.0 innings from 2021-2022, along with Gerrit Cole, Cole Irvin and Robbie Ray.
Across his 13 seasons and 323 Major League appearances, he has only been placed on the Injured List on five occasions: June 10-29, 2019 (left hamstring tightness), March 28-April 4, 2019 (right side discomfort), June 24-July 29, 2018 (right elbow inflammation), June 1-end of season, 2015 (sprained left big toe) and June 5-Aug. 6, 2014 (fractured left hand).
VS. TEXAS: Lyles has made 12 career appearances (10 starts) vs. the Rangers, and is 2-6 with a 6.27 ERA (39 ER in 56.0 IP), but that includes 9 appearances between 2011-16…the remaining 3 appearances have come since 2019, in which he is 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA (4 ER in 17.1 IP), including 6.1 innings of 1-run, 7-strikeout ball and a victory in this ballpark on Aug. 2 of last year while pitching for Baltimore…after going 0-5 in his first 6 starts vs. the Rangers, he’s 2-1 in his last 6 appearances (4 starts) with a 2.36 ERA (7 ER in 26.2 IP) and has not allowed more than 2 runs in any of those starts.
Lyles is familiar with both clubhouses in this ballpark as he spent the 2020-21 seasons with the Rangers and amassed an 11-19 record with a 5.60 ERA (148 ER in 237.2 IP), 182 strikeouts and an opponents’ batting average of .280 (261-for-932)…he set a career high in innings pitched in 2021 (180.0) and tied his career high in strikeouts (146, also 2019), but also led the league in earned runs (103) and home runs allowed (38).
FAR FROM HOME: Over the course of his 13-year career, Lyles has fared better when pitching in front of his home fans, going 36-39 (.480) with a 4.76 ERA (364 ER in 688.0 IP) in 165 appearances…in 158 appearances (109 starts) on the road, he’s 30-53 (.361) with a 5.46 ERA (394 ER in 649.1 IP)…in 2022 while pitching for the Orioles, Lyles pitched extremely well at Camden Yards, with a 3.47 ERA (32 ER in 83.0 IP) across 14 starts, but was hit hard on the road, where he posted a 5.25 ERA (56 ER in 96.0 IP) in 18 starts, but he did go 7-8 and only 10 AL pitchers had more road wins.
Globe Life Field did used to be “home” for Jordan, who spent the 2020-21 seasons in a Rangers uniform…over those two seasons, he went 7-5 in
this ballpark and the Rangers went 11-11 in his starts, while he posted a 5.22 ERA and .284 opponents’ average (130-for-458) and yielded 24 HR.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS: Lyles has been nothing if not a consistently strong defender, averaging less than 1 defensive miscue per season (12 in 1337.1 IP)…he has not committed an error since Sept. 22, 2020, and has made 67 appearances (65 starts) since his last miscue in the field.
His 370.0 innings without an error since 2021 are the 2nd most among all pitchers, trailing only Yankees ace Gerrit Cole (394.1)
TEXAS RANGERS NOTES:
WINS AND LOSSES: Texas beat the Royals last night, 11-2, and club has won 2 straight for its 2nd win streak of ‘23 (also 3-0, 3/30-4/2)…club has won 3 of 5, but has a 3-4 record since the club’s 3-0 start…team is 2 games above .500 for 1st time since 4/5 (4-2), and could match season high point with a win tonight (3-over at 3-0 on 4/2)…team has been .500-or-better following every game in 2023.
• The current 6-4 record is the Rangers’ best 10-G start since 2013 (7-3), and a 4-win improvement over last year’s 2-8 start…last time with 6+ wins after 11 G?: 2016 (6-5) and 2013 (7-4)…team opened the 2023 campaign with a 3-0 record for just the 9th time in Rangers history, the longest season-opening win streak since 2011 (6-0).
STANDINGS: The Rangers moved into sole possession of 1st place in the A.L. West with last night’s win, alone atop the West for the 4th day overall in ‘23 (last on 4/2)…TEX has been alone or tied atop the division for 11 of the season’s 1st 12 days, including 9 straight to begin the year…marks latest point for the club to own even a share of 1st place in the West since the final day of team’s division-winning season in 2016 (10/2/16)…from 2017-22, the Rangers had one day in which it held, or was tied for, 1st place in the West (1-0 on 7/24/20, tied for division lead).
VS. KANSAS CITY: The Rangers and Royals are scheduled to meet 6 times in a 9-G span over 10 days from 4/10-19… Texas won last night, as club has taken 4 of 5, 9 of 11, 12 of 16, 15 of 21, and 19 of last 26 against KC overall (beg. 5/25/18)…TEX has won 7 straight season series against KC (2015-19, 2021-22)…have a 31-10 (.756) mark vs. KC since the start of 2016, 3rd-highest win pct. for any team against any opponent (min. 25 G) over that span behind OAK (32-9, .780 vs. DET) and CLE (29-9, .763 vs. LAA)…TEX is 15-4 in last 19 G in Arlington, and are 6-1 at Globe Life Field…in the all-time series, Rangers hold advantages overall (278-264-1) and in Arlington (153-116).
SERIES STUFF: TEX has dropped back-to-back series after going 3-0 vs. PHI to open the season, sitting at 1-2-0 in series…could take this series vs. KC with wins tonight and/or tomorrow…last night was 2nd win in a series opener in ‘23, and TEX is 3-0 in series finales on the young campaign… Rangers are 1-1-0 in home series, and have gone 2-2-2 in last 6 series at GLF dating to 2022.
AT HOME: The Rangers are 5-2 at home to begin the year, this after 2-5 starts at GLF in both 2021-22…TEX had a 34-47 record at home in 2022, 2nd-lowest in the A.L. and T4th-lowest in MLB for the year…it was 2 fewer home wins than 2021 (36-45), T3rd-lowest Arlington win pct. in Rangers history (.403, 31-46 in 1972; .407, 33-48 in 2014; .420, 34-47 in both 2018/2022)…Rangers have a 91-108 all-time record at Globe Life Field (2020-23).
STAY POSITIVE: Last night’s 9-run win was the Rangers’ 2nd-largest of the season (16-3 win on 4/1 vs. PHI), as TEX has out-scored opponents 47-24 (+23) at Globe Life Field… for the season, the Rangers have a +20 run differential, 4thbest in MLB to only TB (+58), LAD (+24), and MIL (+22).
KEEP BATS WARM: Texas ranks 5th in MLB with both 58 runs and 5.80 R/G in 2023…ML teams with most games of 10+ runs this season: 4-TB, 3-TEX, 2-ARI/CHC/LAA/LAD/ SF/TOR…in 2022, the Rangers did not record a 3rd instance with a double-digit run total until May 17…a look at the Rangers’ double-digit run games at Globe Life Field by season: 0-2020, 3-2021, 4-2022, 3-2023.
HEIM TIME: Jonah Heim hit his 1st HR of the season last night, as he now has hits in 3 straight at 5-for-11…it was Heim’s 26th HR as a catcher in his 3 seasons with Texas… he 26 HR as C are 7th-most in club history in that category… he needs just 3 more HR as a catcher to tie Don Slaught for 6th place on the team’s all-time list.
HEANEY BRINGS THE HEAT: Andrew Heaney earned the win last night in his 2nd start as a Ranger, recording strikeouts of 9 consecutive batters faced from the 1st through 4th innings…some notes on his night:
• The 9 straight K’s marked the most successive strikeouts by a pitcher in Rangers history, snapping the single-game record of 7 set by Nolan Ryan on 7/7/91 vs. LAA and the overall high of 8 done by Joe Barlow from 7/24-8/2/21.
• According to Elias Sports Bureau, it matched the American League record for successive strikeouts, as Heaney becomes just the 3rd A.L. pitcher to do it…the others: DET’s Tyler Alexander on 8/2/20 vs. CIN-G1, and DET’s Doug Fister on 9/27/12 vs. KC.
• Had 10 SO total last night, the 18th double-digit strikeout game of his career (last 10 on 8/24/22 vs. MIL w/ LAD) and 2nd by a Texas pitcher in 2023 (also 11 by Jacob deGrom on 4/5 vs. BAL)…the last left-handed Rangers pitcher with 10+ SO in a single game? Mike Minor on 8/11/19 at MIL (11 SO).
• Marked the 6th instance in club history (beg. 1972) for a pitcher to punch out 10-or-more batters in 5.0-or-fewer innings, last Dane Dunning on 5/9/21 vs. SEA (5.0 IP, 10 SO).
NOW deGROM: After TEX pitchers combined for 13 SO last night, Jacob deGrom takes the mound tonight for his 3rd outing as a Ranger…deGrom’s 2 starts this season have resulted in team strikeout totals of 13 (3/30 vs. PHI) and season-high 15 K’s (4/5 vs. BAL)…deGrom’s 18 K’s this season are T4th-most in the A.L., T3rd-most ever in a TEX pitchers 1st 2 outings of a season, trailing only Nolan Ryan (23 in 1989) and Yu Darvish (20 in 2013).
LEODY NEWS: Rangers OF Leody Taveras was sent from Frisco (AA) to Round Rock (AAA) to continue his injury rehabilitation assignment…today’s Express home game vs. Tacoma started at 12:05 p.m. CT.
BOCHY NOW 11TH ALL-TIME: Last night’s victory was win no. 2,009 of Bruce Bochy’s career as a manager, passing Hall of Famer Leo Durocher (2,008) for sole possession of 11th place on MLB’s all-time managerial wins list…with 31 more wins, Bochy will match Walter Alston for 10th all-time.
MANAGERIAL WINS ALL-TIME RANKS
Rank Manager Wins
9 Dusty Baker 2,097
10 Walter Alston 2,040
11 Bruce Bochy 2,009
12 Leo Durocher 2,008
HEAD START: With Andrew Heaney’s outing last night, Texas starters have allowed 2-or-fewer ER in 5 straight during the 2nd turn through rotation in 2023: 3-2, 2.30 (7 ER/27.1 IP), 8 BB, 36 SO, .202 opp. BA, .555 opp. OPS…the Rangers have 8 starts this season of 5.0+ IP and 3-or-fewer ER allowed, tied for most in MLB (also CLE/HOU/KC/TB).
EL BOMBI: Adolis García’s 2-out grand slam last night capped the Rangers’ 7-run 6th inning…it was the 1st slam by a Ranger this season and the 2nd of García’s career (also 8/29/21 vs. HOU off Abreu)…García has accounted for 2 of the 3 grand slams ever hit by Texas batters at Globe
Life Field, the other by Jonah Heim on 4/14/22 vs. LAA (off Ohtani)…García also extended his all-time Globe Life Field leads in HR (36) and RBI (120).
SHORTS: Texas first baseman Nathaniel Lowe will receive his 2022 American League Silver Slugger Award in an onfield ceremony prior to tonight’s game…Corey Seager has XBH in 4 straight (HR, 3 2B) after zero XBH over his 1st 6 G in ‘23…Jacob deGrom has 59 career double-digit strikeout games, tied with David Cone for 16th-most in the Modern Era (beg. 1901)…according to Baseball Savant, opposing batters have swung and missed on 35 of 165 (21.2%) pitches deGrom has thrown in 2023, the highest whiff rate among MLB pitchers this season (min. 150 pitches).
TONIGHT’S STARTING PITCHER – #48 Jacob deGrom, RHP (1-0, 5.59)
TONIGHT: The 34-year-old right-hander is slated to make his 3rd appearance/ start of the season in game 2 of 3 against the Royals here in Arlington…has pitched exclusively at Globe Life Field in 2023…will work on extra 5 days’ rest after posting 11 strikeouts en route to earning his 1st win as a Ranger on Wed. vs. BAL (see ‘Last Start’)…has struck out 18 of 39 (46.1%) batters faced through 2 starts in 2023, T4th-most strikeouts in A.L. and T2nd-most ever by a pitcher in his first 2 outings as a Ranger (see ‘Thru Two’)…the 2-time National League CY Young Award winner (2018-19) signed a 5-year free agent contract with Texas on 12/2/22…owns the 3rd-lowest ERA in the Expansion Era (since 1961) among pitchers with at least 200 starts: 2.19-Sandy Koufax, 2.49-Clayton Kershaw, 2.55-deGrom…was the N.L. Rookie of the Year in 2014, and is one of just 3 pitchers in baseball history to win multiple Cy Young Awards and a Rookie of the Year Award (also Justin Verlander and Tom Seaver)…has received Cy Young Award votes in 6 of the last 8 seasons (2015-17-18-19-20-21), including 5 straight years prior to an injury-shortened 2022 campaign…spent his entire career with the Mets organization prior to signing with Texas, as he was selected by New York-NL in the 9th round of the 2010 MLB Draft…the Deland, Fla. native and resident played college baseball at his hometown Stetson University…in college, played third base and shortstop his first 2 years before converting to a pitcher as a junior in 2010…Texas has gone 2-0 in deGrom’s 2 starts.
THRU TWO: Has struck out 18 of 39 (46.1%) batters faced through 2 starts, T4th-most strikeouts in A.L. and T2nd-most ever by a pitcher in his first 2 outings as a Ranger: 23-Nolan Ryan in 1989, 18-deGrom in 2023/Jamie Moyer in 1989 (Stathead)…the club record for most strikeouts in a pitcher’s first 3 appearances with Texas? 26 by Nolan Ryan in 1989…according to Baseball Savant, opposing batters have swung and missed on 35 of 165 (21.2%) pitches deGrom has thrown in 2023, the highest whiff rate in MLB this season (min. 150 pitches).
LAST START: Earned his 1st win as a Ranger in Texas’ 5-2 victory on Wed. vs. BAL (6.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R-1 ER, 2 BB, 11 SO, 92 pitches/58 strikes)…was the 59th double-digit strikeout game of his career, tied with David Cone for 16thmost in the Modern Era (since 1901)…marked the 2nd-most strikeouts by a TEX pitcher in a single game since the start of the 2020 season behind only Jon Gray’s 12-SO performance on 6/1/22 vs. TB…additional notes on the outing:
• Was perfect through 4.0 innings, retiring all 12 batters faced before Ryan Mountcastle led off the 5th with a double…according to Elias Sports Bureau, deGrom’s 9 career starts opened with 4.0+ perfect innings are T2nd-most in baseball since the beg. of his debut season in 2014: 10-Max Scherzer, 9-deGrom/Clayton Kershaw, 8-Madison Bumgarner/Justin Verlander.
• Became just the 3rd Ranger since pitches were first officially tracked in 1988 to tally 11+ SO in an outing while throwing 92-or-fewer pitches, joining Yu Darvish on 7/22/16 at KC (11 SO/91 pitches) and Matt Perisho on 10/3/99 at LAA (12 SO/78 pitches).
VS. KANSAS CITY: Has faced the Royals just once in the regular season, earning the win in a start on 8/17/19 at KC w/ NYM (W, 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R-ER, 2 BB, 5 SO)…lone run allowed in that outing scored on a fielding error by first baseman Pete Alonso in the 4th inning…also took the loss in Mets’ 7-1 defeat in Game 2 of the 2015 World Series on 10/28/15 at KC (L, 5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R-ER, 3 BB, 2 SO)… was scoreless thru first 4.0 innings of the Fall Classic start before Kansas City rallied for 4 runs in the 5th…was outdueled by Royals’ starter Johnny Cueto, who threw a complete game in the contest (W, 9.0 IP, 1 R-ER).
• The only remaining player from Kansas City’s 2015 World Series roster, Salvador Perez, has gone 0-for-3 in 3 career plate appearances vs. deGrom.
AT HOME / IN ARLINGTON: DeGrom owns a lifetime 42-32 record and 2.17 ERA (170 ER/706.1 IP) over 111 games/starts at home, incl. 109 GS at Citi Field (41- 32, 2.12) and 3 GS here at Globe Life Field (1-0, 5.59)…his 2.17 career home ERA is the best among active pitchers (min. 700.0 IP) and the 5th-lowest since ER became an official stat in 1913 (min. 700.0 IP)…the lower home ERA’s on that list?: 2.04-Walter Johnson, 2.06-Eddie Cicotte, 2.108-Dick Rudolph, 2.158-Hippo Vaughn.
• Including tonight’s scheduled outing, each of deGrom’s first 3 starts as a Ranger have come in Arlington…11 strikeouts in last outing on Wed. vs. BAL were the 2nd-most ever by a Ranger at Globe Life Field (12-Jon Gray on 6/1/22 vs. TB), and his 18 K’s overall are 3rd-most at home among MLB pitchers (19-NYY’s G. Cole/TB’s J. Springs)…entering 2023, deGrom had made just one career appearance in Arlington, surrendering career high-tying 8 ER in start on 6/6/17 at TEX w/ NYM at the former Globe Life Park (L, 4.0 IP, 10 H, 8 R-ER, 1 BB, 2 SO, 2 HR).
DE-GOAT: A 2-time National League Cy Young Award winner with the Mets (2018- 19), deGrom leads MLB pitchers over the last 4 seasons since the beg. of 2020 (min. 200.0 IP) in ERA (1st, 2.19), opp. BA (1st, .164), WHIP (1st, 0.74), strikeouts per 9 innings (1st, 14.23), and walks per 9 innings (1st, 1.50)…has averaged 10.95 strikeouts per 9 innings in his MLB career from 2014-23, the 2nd-best figure in Major League history among pitchers with at least 1300.0 innings (11.09-Chris Sale)…1,625 career strikeouts are the most in MLB history by any pitcher through his first 211 outings in the big leagues…also has the highest swing-and-miss rate (31.1%) since pitches were first tracked in 1988 (min. 1,000.0 IP).
