Travis d’Arnaud is uniquely familiar with Jacob deGrom, having caught him more than any other catcher during their time together with the New York Mets, where deGrom was often his primary pitcher. This intimate knowledge benefited d’Arnaud and the Angels in their narrow 6-5 win over the Rangers on Monday night.
The experienced catcher seized the moment by hitting two home runs off deGrom within two innings, launching the ball off the left field wall. D’Arnaud’s homers interrupted deGrom’s impressive streak with the Rangers, where he had limited opponents to fewer than two runs over 14 straight games.
“It’s a special feeling to hit a homer against a Cy Young winner,” said d’Arnaud, who finished 2-for-2 with three RBIs. DeGrom ended up on the losing side despite a solid outing with five innings pitched, giving up three runs, five hits, and walking five batters.
D’Arnaud’s sixth-inning efforts helped tie the game and rallied the team, combined with some key plays by relief pitcher Shawn Armstrong and strong performances by other players like LaMonte Wade Jr., who gave the Angels a crucial 5-4 lead. Interim manager Ryan Maddon praised the team’s resilience, highlighting the importance of bench players like Wade making significant contributions.
Meanwhile, the Angels faced some adversity with veteran reliever Hunter Strickland placed on the injured list due to shoulder inflammation, and Robert Stephenson slowly working back from injury. Despite these challenges, the team pushed forward, buoyed by clutch moments like Logan O’Hoppe’s walk-off walk and Nolan Chanuels’s key at-bats.
Overall, this game showcased the competitive intensity and depth of the Angels, while deGrom’s streak came to an end, reminding fans of the unpredictable excitement of baseball.
Fan Take: This victory highlights how familiarity and experience can turn the tide in baseball, showing that even elite pitchers like deGrom can be challenged by savvy batters. For fans, games like this underscore the thrilling and unpredictable nature of the sport, where every at-bat can change the outcome.
