ARLINGTON, Texas — There's an old saying in baseball that a pitcher should never look at the opposing starter—his only job is to focus on the hitters. But even Chicago Cubs starter Jameson Taillon couldn't help but take notice Sunday as Texas Rangers ace Jacob deGrom delivered a masterclass performance, shutting down the Cubs in a 3-0 victory at Globe Life Field.

"I don’t really pay too much mind to the pitching matchup, but somebody like deGrom, you’re obviously aware," Taillon admitted. "You can kind of feel him picking up steam—the strikeouts, the fans getting behind him. The guy is probably a future Hall of Famer and one of the best to do it. When he’s healthy, he’s one of the top three or four in the game."

And healthy deGrom was exactly what the Cubs saw. The 37-year-old right-hander, who has battled through two Tommy John surgeries and a series of injuries that have clouded his path to Cooperstown, looked every bit the dominant force he was during his prime with the New York Mets. Over seven innings, he allowed just three hits, struck out 10, and generated 22 whiffs—a season-high for Cubs hitters. He also crossed the 1,900-strikeout milestone in the first inning, becoming the second-fastest pitcher to reach that mark in both games (256) and innings pitched (1,578⅓), trailing only Randy Johnson (252 games) and Chris Sale (1,560⅓ innings).

The win was deGrom's 99th career victory, and it handed the Cubs their first series loss since the Los Angeles Dodgers took two of three from them back in late April. After snapping a 10-game winning streak on Saturday, Chicago (27-14) has now been shut out in consecutive games and gone 20 innings without scoring a run.

"We didn’t have the best offensive game the last two games," Cubs left fielder Ian Happ said. "But that just means it’s coming. This group is too good to have a couple straight shutouts and not put up some big numbers moving forward."

DeGrom’s performance naturally reignited the Hall of Fame debate. While his career win total (99) might not scream "first-ballot lock" by traditional standards, the game has evolved. Wins are no longer the defining metric for a pitcher's greatness. Instead, his staggering strikeout numbers and career ERA—combined with the sheer dominance he displays when healthy—make a compelling case. Without the injury history, he might already have a plaque in Cooperstown. But even with those setbacks, Sunday's outing was a reminder that when deGrom is on the mound, he's still one of the most electrifying pitchers in baseball.