Jacob deGrom's Worst Nightmare Came Back to Haunt Him and the Yankees Capitalized

Jacob deGrom has been through this before. The two-time Cy Young winner knows what it feels like to get shelled, and Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium, those familiar demons showed up again. The New York Yankees stormed back from a three-run deficit to beat the Texas Rangers 7-4, with Jazz Chisholm Jr. delivering the gut punch: a go-ahead solo homer with two outs in the sixth inning off a 98 mph fastball from deGrom.

This was deGrom's worst outing in years. He allowed season highs of six runs and seven hits across 6 1/3 innings, striking out seven but walking one. The last time he'd given up this many runs was May 17, 2019, when he was still wearing a Mets uniform at Miami. For a guy of his pedigree, that's the kind of stat line that stings.

The Chisholm Difference and Chasing the Early Runs

The Rangers jumped all over the Yankees early. Texas scored three runs in the first inning without breaking a sweat: Joc Pederson drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, Ezequiel Duran singled home another, and Josh Jung scored on a wild pitch. deGrom looked mortal right out of the gate, and it looked like the Rangers had seized control.

Then the Yankees woke up. Ryan McMahon crushed a two-run homer in the second to tie it at 3-3, becoming only the fourth player with at least three career homers off deGrom. Chisholm followed in the sixth with his go-ahead blast, his second career shot against the Mariners ace. Cody Bellinger piled on with an RBI double in the first and a two-run double in the seventh off Jalen Beeks. Paul Goldschmidt added a solo homer in the eighth. The Yanks weren't just winning, they were burying them.

Yankees Rolling, Rangers Stumbling

This was New York's fifth straight victory. The Yankees improved to 15-2 over their past 17 games and have been absolutely dominant recently, outscoring opponents 46-14 in the past five games. That's not sustainable, but it's terrifying for the rest of baseball right now.

Texas, meanwhile, has fallen hard. The Rangers are now 0-10 in their past 15 games and stranded 12 baserunners Tuesday night. They went just 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Josh Jung was the only bright spot: he went 3-for-4 and extended his hitting streak to 13 games, but even he couldn't deliver when it mattered most, popping out with the bases loaded in the eighth.

For deGrom, this loss marks another chapter in a frustrating stretch. He's 2-2 on the season. For a pitcher of his caliber, that's not where anyone expected him to be in May. The Yankees, though? They're exactly where they want to be.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.