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Rangers star Jacob deGrom’s defiant take on Shohei Ohtani matchup proves he’s ultimate competitor
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- Rangers star Jacob deGrom’s defiant take on Shohei Ohtani matchup proves he’s ultimate competitor
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The Texas Rangers earned a 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday. Jacob deGrom impressed for Texas, as the star right-hander turned in six innings of one-run baseball while striking out nine hitters. Of course, there was plenty of attention on Shohei Ohtani 's at-bats against deGrom, as the best player in baseball faced one of the best pitchers in recent memory. After the game, deGrom commented on the Ohtani matchup, via Jacob Gurvis of MLB.com.
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"I wanted to face him there, honestly. He got me on the first at-bat," deGrom said of facing Ohtani. "I walked him on the second at-bat, and then once I fell behind, I was like, 'Please don't walk him. Please don't walk him.' And then they did. That's the goal, you want to compete against the best.
"He's a great hitter. Like I said, he got me in the first at-bat and I wanted a chance to try to go out there and redeem myself."
Ohtani hit a home run in the first inning off deGrom. The Dodgers offense is more than capable of catching fire in a hurry, so the homer suggested LA could score a lot of runs.
Jacob deGrom bounced back without too much trouble and ended up recording a stellar start.
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It is also worth noting that deGrom was previously dealing with a knee injury concern . It certainly did not seem to bother him against the Dodgers.
The Rangers are now 8-7 overall and are tied for first place in the American League West. Texas has not had the best start to the season, but the team is displaying signs of potential. The Rangers are hoping to make a playoff run this year .
The team will look to remain in the win column on Monday night against the Athletics .
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