Texas Rangers right-hander Jacob deGrom reached 2,000 career strikeouts on Thursday night, becoming the second-fastest pitcher in major league history to achieve the milestone by both games and innings pitched. DeGrom accomplished the feat in the first inning of a 2-0 win over the Washington Nationals at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, by fanning the first two batters he faced.
Jacob deGrom Reaches 2,000 Career Strikeouts in Rangers Win
The 38-year-old ace struck out Daylen Lile and former Texas farmhand Abimelec Ortiz, with both hitters chasing sliders below the zone. After recording the historic punchout against Ortiz, deGrom stood on the mound and tipped his hat to the cheering crowd.
Obviously I've said it before, personal accomplishments are cool, but the goal is to win.
The most important thing tonight was to go out there and put us in a position to win.
Historic Pace and Milestone Company
DeGrom reached the 2,000-strikeout benchmark in his 272nd game and 1,660⅓ innings pitched (noted as 1,661 innings in other accounts) since his big league debut in 2014. In major league history, only Hall of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson reached 2,000 strikeouts faster by games, doing so in 262 contests, while deGrom moved ahead of Clayton Kershaw’s 277 games. By innings pitched, Chris Sale holds the record at 1,626, with deGrom surpassing Yu Darvish at 1,697⅓ innings for second place.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, deGrom became the 95th pitcher in MLB history to record 2,000 strikeouts. He is the ninth active player to reach the milestone and the second this season, joining Philadelphia’s Aaron Nola, who hit the mark on August 8. DeGrom is also the third pitcher in Texas franchise history since 1972 to reach 2,000 career strikeouts while wearing a Rangers uniform, joining Ferguson Jenkins.
The span of his strikeouts reflects a lengthy career, bridging his first career strikeout victim—retired 46-year-old Mark Teixeira in 2014—to the 24-year-old Ortiz.
Dominant Performance Against Washington
Following the first-inning milestone, deGrom put together a dominant outing to earn his ninth win of the season, improving to 9-8 with a 3.77 ERA. He tossed six scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and one walk—both to Brady House—while throwing 94 pitches. DeGrom struck out the side in the fourth inning and finished the night with 10 strikeouts, matching a season high, before finishing his evening with 2,008 career strikeouts.
The strong start provided a welcome rebound for the pitcher, who was pulled after only two innings on August 13 due to triceps fatigue, causing Texas manager Skip Schumaker and others to fear he might require a stint on the injured list. Instead, his start against Washington was pushed back one day.
It was vintage deGrom,
Schumaker said.
Catcher Danny Jansen also praised the pitcher’s performance and competitiveness, calling him a legend and an ultimate competitor who is fearless on the mound.
Context of Injuries and Career Path
The milestone arrives following a winding career path marked by dominant peaks and significant injuries. After winning back-to-back National League Cy Young Awards with the New York Mets in 2018 and 2019—and leading the National League in strikeouts during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season—deGrom made only 35 total starts from 2021 to 2024. He missed most of the 2023 and 2024 seasons due to elbow surgery after making just six starts in his first season with Texas following his departure from New York.
Having undergone his second Tommy John surgery in 2023, deGrom has re-established himself as one of the most successful pitchers to return from the procedure twice. He posted 185 strikeouts with a 2.97 ERA in 2025 during his first full season back, finishing eighth in Cy Young voting.
Team Postseason Push
As deGrom achieved his individual milestone, the Rangers remain focused on a tight American League postseason race. Sitting below the .500 mark in second place in the American League West division, Texas remains in contention for the wild-card chase, with manager Skip Schumaker indicating that a healthy deGrom would likely anchor a potential Game 1 postseason matchup.
Reflecting on his milestone after the victory, deGrom maintained his usual forward-looking perspective on his career.
But even when the season's over, I'm like, 'I've got to figure out a way to get outs the following year.'
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