Sometimes a perfect game isn’t a pitcher retiring all twenty-seven batters he faces. Sometimes it’s bigger than that.

Jacob deGrom didn’t pitch a perfect game last night, in fact, he lost that bid with two outs in the second. He gave up five hits and a walk. But it was about as perfect of a game as you’ll want to see.

The Rangers were in for a tough night. They were facing the Astros ace, Hunter Brown, who came into the game with a 1.48 ERA, good for fourth-best in the A.L. behind Tyler Mahle’s 1.47. Brown was, actually, pitching a perfect game through his first four innings. An Adolis Garcia leadoff double in the fifth snapped that.

But it was Adolis Garcia’s defense, and the entire team’s defense, that made this game perfect. Because whenever deGrom got in a jam, the Rangers defense make spectacular plays to bail him out. 

Garcia made two spectacular diving catches. One in the fourth as he dove for a ball that would have gone for at least a double. That was huge because the next two batters singled. Both runners were stranded.

He made another diving catch in the seventh with two outs and a runner at second to save a run.

Evan Carter made a spectacular running catch in center to prevent a double.

Jacob deGrom allowed traffic, but his defense and his ability to strike out a batter at just the key moment allowed him to go eight scoreless innings. It was the first time he went eight innings since 2021.

Jake Burger, who had to endure the humiliation of being sent down to the minor leagues and was only called back up four days ago, found redemption for by belting a home run in the sixth. It was the game’s only run, which was expected in this old school pitcher’s duel.

And to make the game even more perfect, the win helped Bruce Bochy pass Sparky Anderson for sixth place in all-time wins as a manager with 2,195. A West Virginia boy, Bochy grew up idolizing the Big Red Machine Cincinnati teams of the 70s led by Sparky.

Bochy is now 131 wins away from Joe Torre for fifth place. 

Oh, and the 1-0 win, their sixth win in a row, shot the Rangers past the Astros for second place in the A.L. West, only a half game behind the Mariners.

Rangers’ fans didn’t witness a perfect game from a pitcher. But it was a perfect game nonetheless.

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