Rangers’ Jacob deGrom joins elite group after 11-strikeout game vs. A’s

(AP photo/Jim Cowsert)

ARLINGTON — Jacob deGrom makes striking hitters out look so routine that it’s easy to lose track of just how many he has piled up during a start.

The number Sunday afternoon was 11. In six innings. On only 80 pitches.

There was more in the tank, though the Rangers played it safe with their ace right-hander. He did not return in the 5-2 victory over the A’s at Globe Life Field after leaving his previous start after only four innings because of wrist soreness.

But the early cutoff didn’t keep deGrom from joining an impressive group of pitchers.