Jacob deGrom knows now that he never had to try so hard. His fastball is good enough to dominate even when it doesn’t touch 100 mph, and it has been since that night 11 years ago when he sat in the home clubhouse at Citi Field as a hard-throwing,

MLB fans were treated to such an encounter during Wednesday's game between the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers, as Yankees slugger Aaron Judge and Rangers ace Jacob deGrom crossed paths multiple times during New York's 4-3 win over Texas at Yankee Stadium.

Judge and deGrom met in the first inning, when a pitcher who has tried throwing with less velocity and with more of a varied selection — in an attempt to stay healthy — looked an awful lot like deGrom in his prime: He ignored those secondary pitches and only went with heaters and sliders, though he lost Judge on a six-pitch walk.

Jacob deGrom hadn’t taken the field in New York in over two years. On Wednesday night, he picked up right where he left off. The 36-year-old right hander, who cemented his legacy as one of the most dominant pitchers of his era over nine seasons with the Mets – winning the 2014 Rookie of

The Rangers' veteran ace has pitched well this season but he recognizes that Yankees' star Aaron Judge can be a problem.

The Jacob deGrom the Yankees see on Wednesday will not be the same Jacob deGrom who dominated to virtually unparalleled levels across town.

There was a matchup on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium that included someone -- Aaron Judge \-\- who is almost certainly going to end up in the Hall of Fame, and someone else -- Jacob deGrom \-\- who should.

Aaron Judge and the Yankees faced off against Jacob deGrom and the Rangers and the matchup did not disappoint.

Outhit 10-5 in a matchup, the Yankees had no business doing what they did Wednesday: Somehow winning the game.