Texas pitcher Jacob deGrom left the Rangers’ Thursday game against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., after two innings due to what the team announced was right triceps fatigue.
deGrom spun around and looked at the mound in frustration after a pitch to Adam Frazier midway during a 32-pitch second inning that saw the two-time Cy Young Award winner allow five hits and two runs. Frazier eventually singled and scored, but deGrom remained in the game and faced three more batters to finish the inning.
It marked just the third career start in which deGrom pitched two innings or fewer. The 38-year-old veteran allowed two runs on six hits, walked a batter and struck out three to give him 1,998 career strikeouts. He threw 53 pitches, 35 for strikes.
deGrom, who entered the night with an 8-7 record, saw his ERA rise to 3.95. The five-time All-Star is on the verge of becoming the 94th pitcher in major league history to register 2,000 strikeouts, according to baseball-reference.com.
