Prior to the start of Friday’s game between the Mets and Texas Rangers, New York showed a tribute video of Jacob deGrom, Friday’s starter, in his first start at Citi Field since leaving in free agency following the 2022 season.
The video, about one minute and five seconds long, featured highlights from the right-hander’s incredible nine-year career in New York between 2014 and 2022 and ended with the message ‘Welcome Back Jacob’ before transitioning to deGrom’s walk-out song “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd that became iconic in New York.
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DeGrom, getting loose on the field, was then displayed on the screen which resulted in a round of applause and the 37-year-old tipping his cap to the crowd.
A four-time All-Star with the Mets, deGrom went 82-57 in New York and pitched to a 2.52 ERA (0.99 WHIP) with 1,835 strikeouts in 1,522.2 IP.