The Texas Rangers scored eight runs, but the Toronto Blue Jays scored ten runs.
Well, that’s one way to start a season.
Four pitches in the new campaign to usher in a new era and Rangers led 1-0 after a Brad Miller leadoff dong. When Texas was eliminated from the game for the second time, it was 4-0 as each new Rangers acquisition had hit base and the new and improved lineup had knocked out Jays’ starter Jose Berrios with just one out.
By the end of the 4th, Rangers were leading 7-0 and starter Jon Gray had the minimum. By the end of the 6th, with Gray out of the game with a blister after allowing three runs in four innings, the Blue Jays had come all the way back to overtake Texas by an 8-7 lead.
Adolis Garcia finished the game with a solo from El Bombi in the top of 7th, but the Jays snuck into an undeserved run down the bottom of the frame to take a lead they wouldn’t give up while they were in the 8th place even accumulated an insurance record.
Texas allowed at least one Blue Jay run in each of the last five frames, with each member of the bullpen who came in (John King, Josh Sborz, Dennis Santana and Greg Holland) allowing at least one run.
This was sold to us so it should hardly be unexpected. The lineup is set to improve and this is what it looked like with eight hits, five walks, eight runs and three home runs. But fielding is a problem, as it has been almost every season in the 50 years that the Rangers are now at Arlington.
That said, we got a proof of concept there for a while and it’s been a pretty good time, but with the foundation just being laid there’s still a lot of work to do.
player of the game: When Texas goes back to baseball in October, the face used to advertise the team will be that of Corey Seager. He’s the star. And he was good on his debut too, going 2-on-4 with a double and a walk and hitting three runs.
But the star tonight was Mitch Garver, who also racked up a walk and two hits, including a long, loud home run with two outs and two runs to extend the lead that Rangers couldn’t hold. Garver was used to provide punch at the catcher position, and he did just that on his debut for Texas.
Next: The good news in baseball is that there is always a game tomorrow. For the Rangers, that means facing these Jays again with RHP. Dane Dunning makes his season debut for Toronto against RHP Kevin Gausman.
The first pitch on Saturday afternoon from the Rogers Center is scheduled for 2:07 p.m. CDT.