DeGrom pitches 6 strong innings, Seager snaps homer drought in Rangers' 6-2 victory over Pirates
Associated Press
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jacob deGrom struck out seven in six strong innings, Corey Seager hit his first home run since May 10 and the Texas Rangers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-2 on Friday night.
DeGrom (7-2) retired the first 11 batters and allowed two runs and five hits in six innings with one walk. One day after his 37th birthday, the two-time Cy Young Award winner extended his franchise record to 12 consecutive starts of allowing two runs or fewer and five hits or fewer.
After being injured for most of the past four seasons, deGrom is 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA in four June starts.
Seager homered with one out in the fifth inning off rookie Mike Burrows (1-2), a drive to right field to increase the Rangers' lead to 4-2. The five-time All-Star shortstop had gone 81 plate appearances without a home run while also being on the injured list from May 11-27 with a strained right hamstring.
Burrows lasted 4 2/3 innings and gave up four runs on seven hits.
Texas' Adolis Garcia had three hits — including a double and his ninth homer — and two RBIs while making two outstanding diving catches in right field. Marcus Semien went 2 for 5 for the Rangers and extended his hitting streak to 12 games.
The Pirates' Joey Bart had three hits.
Rangers first baseman Jake Burger left the game in the seventh inning with left-side tightness. Center fielder Wyatt Langford sat out because of back spasms. Key moment
The Pirates closed to 3-2 with two runs in the fourth inning, but deGrom caught Alexander Canario looking with the bases loaded to end the threat. Key stat
DeGrom made his 15th start, his most in a season since also starting 15 times for the New York Mets in 2021. Up next
On Saturday, rookie RHP Kumar Rocker (2-4, 7.31 ERA) will pitch for the Rangers against RHP Mitch Keller (1-9, 4.08).
___
AP MLB: https://www.apnews.com/hub/MLB
recommended
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Son of former Tennessee head coach breaks Johnny Bench's home run record
Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh is leading Major League Baseball in home runs during the 2025 season, following Friday's games. Raleigh has 29 home runs and 63 RBIs for the Mariners in 2025. He went 3-for-4 and hit two home runs in Seattle's, 9-4, victory over the Cubs. He also recorded four runs, three RBIs and one walk. He set a record for most home runs by a catcher before the All-Star break. The previous mark of 28 was set by Johnny Bench in 1970. Raleigh played at Florida State and was an All-America standout. He was selected in the third round of the 2018 MLB draft (No. 90 overall) by the Mariners and debuted on July 11, 2021. Raleigh earned Gold Glove Award and Platinum Glove Award honors in 2024. He is the son of former Tennessee head coach Todd Raleigh. Todd Raleigh coached the Vols from 2008-11. At Tennessee, he compiled a 108-113 (42-78 SEC) record in four seasons. Todd Raleigh went to Tennessee after serving as head coach at Western Carolina from 2000-07. He compiled a 257–209 (132–101 SoCon) record with the Catamounts. More: Tennessee baseball draft projections after MLB combine
San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
The Chronicle's All-Metro regional softball players of the year
SAN FRANCISCO Gianna Galarza (St. Ignatius): The junior catcher earned first-team All-West Catholic Athletic League honors by hitting .515 (35-for-68) with 24 RBIs, seven doubles and four home runs, all team bests. In 84 plate appearances, Galarza struck out just twice and drew 15 walks as she posted a .607 on-base percentage with a 1.401 OPS. The third-year starter also threw out nine runners trying to steal and had just two errors in 183 total chances. A model of consistency, Galarza had hits in 22 of 23 games, starting the season on a 16-game hitting streak. Ava Bulanti (St. Francis): The senior pitcher and slugger was Co-WCAL Pitcher of the Year for the Chronicle's No. 1 team, going 14-1 with a 1.96 ERA. A Stanford commit, Bulanti struck out 112 in 93 innings with 29 walks. She also blasted a team-best eight home runs and hit .398 with eight doubles to help the Lancers win WCAL and Central Coast Section Open Division titles. The Livermore Stampede Tournament MVP had 64 hits, 60 RBIs and 27 extra-base hits during her three-year varsity career. EAST BAY Andrea Tall (Newark Memorial): The San Diego State-bound infielder had a monster senior season, hitting .607 with 17 home runs and 49 RBIs for the Cougars (18-5). Tall's home run total bettered the previous North Coast Section single-season record of 15 but was surpassed this season by Metro overall Player of the Year Delaney Aumua's 19. Tall finished with 51 hits in 84 at-bats with 13 additional extra base hits (seven doubles, six triples). In a 9-0 win over Redwood-Larkspur in a North Coast Section Division 2 playoff game, she went 4-for-4 with a double, triple and home run. Her biggest power surge was blasting two home runs, driving in eight and going 4-for-4 in a 30-4 win over Irvington. She had at least three hits eight times. Callie Howard (Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa): The UC San Diego signee earned North Bay League Oak Division Player of the Year/Pitcher of the Year honors by going 21-6 with a 1.37 ERA and leading the Cardinals to their fourth straight NCS championship. Howard struck out a career-high 260 batters in 163 innings. In the NorCal Division 2 playoffs, she pitched complete-game wins over Calaveras (5-1) and Pinole Valley (1-0) — allowing just seven hits and striking out 19 against zero walks — before losing a 1-0 to Hillsdale-San Mateo in the title game. She also hit .367 with 33 hits on the season.
San Francisco Chronicle
3 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
De La Salle's Tyler Spangler, All-Metro POY, draws big comparisons, posts huge numbers
De La Salle-Concord baseball coach David Jeans couldn't help himself watching Tyler Spangler one day at practice. He had to voice a comparison. Big frame. Big bat. Durable. Smooth. Quiet demeanor. 'You remind me of a young Cal Ripken Jr.,' said Jeans, who figured his junior shortstop wouldn't be familiar with the 19-time All-Star and two-time MVP who was out of Major League Baseball seven years before Spangler was born. Spangler thought for a moment and nodded gratefully. 'He had a pretty good career, didn't he, Coach?' Spangler said. Of course Spangler knew who Ripken was, Jeans reminded himself. This was Spangler, 'the throwback,' Jeans said. Never rattled. Nothing flashy. The consummate team player. Mature beyond his years. Never too up or too down. Ripken is a player Spangler would naturally emulate. But because he bats left-handed, Spangler is more often compared to Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager. Spangler's baseball idol is Barry Bonds. 'Utterly coachable,' Jeans said of Spangler. 'You tell him one thing to work on, he applies it right away. He processes it, works on it and gets it done.' Here's one thing he might not easily process: Spangler is the Chronicle's 2025 Metro Player of the Year. The modest 6-foot-3, 190-pounder led the Spartans (29-4) to their seventh North Coast Section title in eight seasons and third Northern California crown in four years, utilizing every facet of a nearly flawless all-around game. He entered the season having secured a scholarship to Stanford and was ranked the third-best junior in the nation (No. 1 in California) by Prep Baseball Report. He then went out and met all expectations, hitting a team-best .430 (43 hits, 100 at-bats) with 42 runs scored and 40 RBIs. He tied a De La Salle record with 10 home runs to go along with eight doubles and six triples, for a hefty OPS of 1.470 and slugging percentage of .930. On a team filled with stars — he's joined on the All-Metro first team by pitcher Graham Schlicht, infielder Antonio Castro and outfielder Alec Blair — Spangler was the obvious team and East Bay Athletic League MVP. 'He's the best player I've ever played with,' said senior Ethan Sullivan, a second-team All-Metro outfielder. 'His bat control, his hitting and defense is amazing. He's a great teammate, too. Super modest.' When asked about his junior campaign going into the season's final week, the third-year starter said: 'As long as we're winning, it doesn't really matter what I'm doing. As long as we're winning, it's all good and I'm happy.' Spangler rarely swung at pitches out of the zone and would often take the ball to left. He did so twice in the NorCal title game, lacing RBI doubles in the first and seventh innings down the left-field line, igniting the Spartans to a 5-4 win over Serra to close the season. It was a perfect conclusion to a season for Spangler, who made just five errors in 102 total chances, while leading the team with 63 assists. The Spartans made a program-low 25 errors this season, with Spangler also having a hand in a team-best 15 double plays. 'There's nothing he didn't do for us,' Jeans said. 'He's not fazed by exterior or interior expectations. If he makes a mistake, he corrects it, all with a very quiet confidence.'
