Jacob deGrom already made his return to New York earlier this season.
He took the mound when the Rangers visited the Yankees in the Bronx for a three-game set back in May, but Friday night will mark the talented right-hander’s first time pitching at Citi Field as a visitor.
DeGrom is set to face-off with young Mets top prospect Jonah Tong in the opener of a three-game set.
“I’m excited to go and pitch at Citi Field,” he told reporters including Kennedy Landry of MLB.com. “That’s where I started my career, so it holds a special place in my heart — their alumni game is going on there too so some guys I came up with will be there as well, it’ll be an all-around cool experience.”
DeGrom spent the first nine years of his big-league career in orange and blue.
Despite being a ninth-round draft pick he went on to solidify himself as one of the greatest pitchers in franchise history — logging a Rookie of the Year, two Cy Young awards, and four All-Star appearances.
He seemed like a lock to have his No. 48 sent up into the Citi Field rafters, but when he hit free agency following the 2022 season, he opted to leave to the Rangers on a big money five-year deal.
DeGrom made just nine starts his first two years in Texas after battling through injuries, but has finally been able to stay healthy thus far this season and he’s returned to his once dominant form atop their rotation.
He logged his fifth-career All-Star appearance earlier this year in Atlanta and has recorded a 2.78 ERA and 196 strikeouts across 155.2 innings of work, his most since 2019.
The 37-year-old is expecting some nerves when he finally toes the Citi Field rubber once again, but he’s looking forward to what he thinks will feel like a playoff atmosphere.
“I’ve pitched a lot there, Mets fans were always good to me,” he said. “Pitching in front of that crowd was always a fun experience, now I’m on the other side doing it, it’ll be interesting to see how it goes — all these games are important for us, same for them with the spot they’re in, so it’s going to be fun."
Juan Soto, Cedric Mullins, and Starling Marte are the only three Mets with experience against deGrom.
The latter two don't have much success, but Soto has a homer and a .909 OPS across 18 career at-bats.
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