Texas Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi is noted for his consistency and his ability to come through in big games. However, he was hit hard by the New York Yankees in an 8-0 loss Saturday in the first game of a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium. Eovaldi was removed from the game and the pitcher was clearly frustrated after the game.
Eovaldi gave up 3 earned runs, 6 hits and he also walked two batters. Eovaldi admitted he felt some tightness on his right side, but that was not an excuse for his unimpressive performance for the Rangers.
“It (the tight feeling) was not sharp when I was pitching. It's just frustrating not working as efficiently as I know I can,” the pitcher told the media after the game. “It's tough when a starter doesn't go deep in the game. They (the Yankees) fouled off some really good pitches and they had some good at bats that they capitalized on.”
Eovaldi said that he was prepared to return to the mound and pitch in the fourth inning and that's what he wanted, but manager Bruce Bochy made the pitching change. He was followed on the mound by relievers Brock Burke and Grant Anderson.
The defending World Series champion Rangers have struggled throughout the season and while they still have an outside shot at the American League West title, that chance appears to be diminishing. The Rangers have lost 10 of their last 13 games and they are 6.5 games behind the first-place Houston Astros.
Eovaldi has been a clutch pitcher throughout his career
Even though the Rangers have struggled throughout the majority of the season, Eovaldi has pitched well in 2024. He has an 8-6 record with a 3.62 earned run average and he has struck out 117 batters in 120 innings.
Eovaldi has been a big-league pitcher for 13 seasons and this is his second year with the Rangers. He played a key role in the team's outstanding run to the World Series victory last year. Eovaldi had victories in all four rounds of the playoffs, going 1-0 against the Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles and Arizona Diamondbacks. He also won two games against the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series.
Prior to joining the Rangers, he also played a key role for the Boston Red Sox in that team's 2018 postseason run to the World Series. Nathan Eovaldi had victories against the Yankees in the American League Division Series and the Astros in the ALCS, and he had a heroic effort in an extra-inning loss to the Dodgers in the World Series. The Red Sox would eventually win that World Series in five games.
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