Jacob deGrom received a present in his return to Citi Field: a a six-run lead before he threw a pitch.

He was greeted with applause when he came out to warm up before his first appearance against the New York Mets since leaving in December 2022.

A two-time Cy Young Award winner who went 82-57 in nine seasons for the Mets, deGrom received a somewhat muted response when he took the mound only because fans were stunned when the Texas Rangers knocked out rookie Josh Tong after two outs in a 22-minute top of the first on Friday night.

DeGrom gave up three runs in the third inning but steadied to retire his final 15 batters, leaving him with a 2.82 ERA in a season in which he earned his fifth All-Star selection and first since 2021. He allowed just the three runs and four hits in seven inning

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