Introduction to Jacob deLatz
BALTIMORE — Meet the Rangers’ newest starter: Jacob deLatz.
Anyone?
Look, you can see strange things in the heat. One moment, a guy is a reliever just filling in for a day. The next, his teammates are mistaking him with the much taller, even skinnier multiple Cy Young Award winner in their starting rotation. That’s what happens when you flirt with a no-hitter.
The Game Against Baltimore
On a 100-degree night Tuesday, and in his third major league start, Latz took a no-hitter to the seventh inning against Baltimore. Looked like an old pro in doing so. And, after a 6-5 10-inning win that went haywire the minute Latz was pulled with one hit allowed over a career-high 88 pitches, his bullpen mates couldn’t help but joke around mistakenly calling him “Jacob deGrom.”
Or should we say former bullpen mates. After Latz’s run over the last three weeks as the club has stretched him out, he’s looked increasingly more like a starter than just a reliever in starter’s clothes.
Coach Bruce Bochy’s Opinion
“We’ll huddle up talk about that,” Bruce Bochy said in deferring to pass judgement on a change in role for his pitcher 15 minutes after a wild game. “But, yeah, he’s throwing the ball terrific. It’s been really fun to watch how this guy just gets better and better and the confidence he’s pitching with. Of course, it’s a legitimate thought [about the rotation]. He’s a weapon, whether he starts or he’s in the bullpen. He’s stretched out now and you’ve heard me say before that he’s got starter stuff.”
Performance in Recent Games
In two starts plus a “bulk” outing, Latz has a nice 3.00 ERA over 15 innings. But that hardly describes what he’s done in the opportunity. Three of the five runs charged to him have scored after his bullpen mates let him down and allowed inherited runners to score. Chris Martin allowed the two he inherited to score on the first of three consecutive homers he allowed Tuesday.
In his first start at Washington, Latz allowed one single and one walk, both erased by double plays, over the first three innings. Tired at about the 50-pitch mark. He extended himself to nearly six innings and 82 pitches against Kansas City last week as the “bulk pitcher” behind opener Shawn Armstrong, allowing only a solo homer.
The No-Hitter Bid
He struck out three straight after a walk in the fifth, then retired the side in order in the sixth, extending himself to 79 pitches. With a 4-0 lead and the realization he’d not allowed a hit, the Rangers allowed him to start the seventh. And that is the moment that Jacob Latz realized that he hadn’t just allowed no hits, but was now fully working on a no-hitter.
“I looked at the scoreboard, I looked at the crowd and I took it in for a second,” Latz acknowledged afterward. “But once the batter steps in the box, it’s back to what we were doing. Yes, he got the hit that inning. Yes, I might have let it creep into my mind a little bit, but it was more just the realization of where I was at that point.”
Future Plans
“Being a starter is one of the better jobs in all of baseball, so I’m not going to say I don’t want to be a starting pitcher,” Latz said. “Obviously, I do like it. But I’m comfortable either way. If that’s in the rotation, that’s great.
“But hopefully we can just take this win as a good momentum boost and put ourselves in a good spot here come next month.”
To that point, it’s hard to think, at least based on the small sample size and the importance of the next few weeks, that the possibility of starting is not a real conversation. It’s also hard to see exactly how the Rangers would wedge him in. Nathan Eovaldi is expected to return to the rotation Friday, which should give the team a full five-man group.
Conclusion
Latz will leave that to the Rangers to figure out. And in the meantime, he’ll answer to whatever – or whenever – his teammates and manager call him or call on him.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who is Jacob deLatz?
A: Jacob deLatz is a baseball player who recently started for the Rangers and took a no-hitter to the seventh inning against Baltimore.
Q: What is Jacob deLatz’s role in the team?
A: Jacob deLatz’s role in the team is currently being discussed, with possibilities of him being a starter or a reliever.
Q: How did Jacob deLatz perform in his recent games?
A: Jacob deLatz performed well in his recent games, with a 3.00 ERA over 15 innings and allowing only a few hits and runs.
Q: What are the plans for Jacob deLatz’s future in the team?
A: The plans for Jacob deLatz’s future in the team are currently being discussed, with possibilities of him being a starter or a reliever, and potentially being part of the rotation.
