NY Mets pay tribute to Jacob deGrom before he returns to Citi Field mound
As Jacob deGrom made his first start back at Citi Field since leaving the Mets, the club played a video tribute on Sept. 12, 2025.
NEW YORK — As the lean fireballing ace emerged on the Citi Field mound that he had dominated for nearly a decade, there was no Lynard Skynard and no “Simple Man.”
It was deGrom day in Flushing but the 37-year-old starting pitcher was wearing something other than blue and orange.
DeGrom’s entrance song was instead played during a video tribute on Friday night while he warmed up in center field before his long-awaited return as member of the Rangers, with Mets fans rising to embrace one of the most decorated pitchers in franchise history.
The veteran right-hander continued to warm up for his start before breaking his concentration to tip his cap once the video finished playing.
“It was really cool. This is where it all started and then coming back here, I thought it was going to be a very special day,” deGrom said, “so thankful to the Mets for playing that. These fans were great to me when I was here and that was a really nice thing to do.”
It was the first time deGrom was back in Citi Field since he departed following the 2022 season to sign a five-year, $185 million deal with the Rangers. It is a big one for the Rangers, with the club sitting two games back of the Mariners for the final American League Wild Card spot entering the day.
Many of the Mets, including Brandon Nimmo and Pete Alonso, remembered what it was like having deGrom on their side as a dominant force. On Friday, deGrom carried that over against his former team, tossing seven innings with three earned runs allowed on four hits in seven innings.
“I think I did a decent job,” deGrom said of controlling his emotions over the course of the day. “When they played the video, I looked at it for a second and then I had to kind of look down, gather myself and continue to get ready for the game. Once first pitch happened, it was, ‘All right, here we go. We gotta try to get some outs.'”
DeGrom finished his day by recording 15 straight outs to improve to 12-7 and chisel his ERA down to 2.82.
DeGrom, who was a homegrown Met drafted in the ninth round of the 2010 MLB Draft, spent his first nine major league seasons with the club and delivering some of their most special moments on the mound.
In 2014, the right-hander became the fifth player in Mets history to earn the NL Rookie of the Year Award after going 9-6 with a 2.69 ERA and 144 strikeouts in 140â…“ innings.
The next season, on the way to helping the Mets make their first playoff appearance since 2006 and World Series appearance since 2000, deGrom earned his first of four National League All-Star selections.
DeGrom won back-to-back National League Cy Young Awards in 2018 and 2019. In the first campaign, he struck out a career high 269 batters in 217 innings with a league-best 1.70 ERA despite finishing 10-9 due to a lack of regular run support. One year later, deGrom led the NL with 255 strikeouts in 204 innings, along with a 11-8 record and 2.43 ERA.
“I wasn’t here, but we faced him a lot. He meant a lot to this organization, when you’re talking about a homegrown player and what he was able to do while he was up here,” Carlos Mendoza said. “He was an ace and you felt good about your chance every time he took the baseball. It was a show. This is a guy that people came to the ballpark to watch him pitch.”
After a COVID-shortened campaign during which led the league again with 104 strikeouts, injuries began to befall deGrom, who suffered a partial tear in his UCL in his throwing elbow in 2021 and a right shoulder stress reaction in 2022.
With the best ERA (2.52) and WHIP (1.00) in Mets history, along with the fourth-most strikeouts (1,607), it would not be out of the question to see deGrom’s No. 48 in the rafters at some point.
The second Tommy John surgery of deGrom’s career during his first season with the Rangers in 2023 forced him to miss the team’s trip to face the Mets in 2023, and he had yet to return when the two teams faced off in June last season.
Now, deGrom has been at the top of the Rangers’ rotation as they make their own push for the playoffs. His 162â…” innings are his most since 2019, and he has 171 strikeouts and a 0.92 WHIP to go with it.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to play this game for quite a while, and every day you get to put this uniform on, I’m thankful for that,” deGrom said. “We get to play a game for a living. It’s an awesome experience. (When) that’s taken away from you, try not to let doubt set in, try to focus each day on what I got to do to get back out there. Just thankful to be out there playing this game.”