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Texas Rangers ace Nathan Eovaldi set an Opening Day franchise record with his performance against the Boston Red Sox. The Rangers, unfortunately, did not live up to the odds on Thursday, dropping their first game 5-2. The franchise is trying to bounce back after a disappointing season that saw it miss the playoffs.
Eovaldi, however, went into his debut in midseason form. The 35-year-old pitched six innings, giving up just two runs and with nine strikeouts. Rangers' radio broadcaster Jared Sandler broke down the significance of Eovaldi's performance.
Nathan Eovaldi's 9 K ties a Rangers franchise record for strikeouts on Opening Day
2025 Nathan Eovaldi vs. Red Sox
2020 Lance Lynn vs. Rockies
2013 Matt Harrison at Astros
2012 Colby Lewis vs. White Sox
1991 Nolan Ryan vs. Brewers— Jared Sandler (@JaredSandler) March 27, 2025
The Rangers got their season off on the wrong foot
Unfortunately, Texas gave up three runs in the ninth inning to seal its first loss of the season. The franchise is two years off of its first World Series ever and still has several players from that team. One of those players is Nathan Eovaldi, who was critical during this stretch. The veteran starter went 5-0 in the 2023 postseason, recording a phenomenal 2.95 ERA. For the most part, Eovaldi has maintained his form since moving to Texas in 2023. The righty is the kind of veteran presence this team needs both on and off the field
The Rangers' offense was 18th in scoring last season and did not get off to a great start on Opening Day. Bruce Bochy will ultimately rely on franchise cornerstones like Corey Seager and Marcus Siemian to elevate this unit so that this team can move back up the American League. The biggest threats to this team in the AL West will be the usual suspects over the past few years, the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners.
Overall, it's going to a grind this season for this group of players to get to where it was before. But performances like the one from Nathan Eovaldi are an encouraging sign.
