Nathan Eovaldi has the New York Yankees' number—and right now, that's no small feat. For the second time in just eight days, the veteran right-hander silenced one of baseball's hottest lineups, leading the Texas Rangers to a commanding 6-1 victory.

Eovaldi delivered eight masterful innings, scattering just three hits while striking out a season-high eight batters without issuing a single walk. His 101-pitch outing was a clinic in pitch sequencing, with 72 of those offerings finding the strike zone.

"That's the tough part—we don't often face the same team in back-to-back starts," Eovaldi said. "Fortunately, the last one went well. I leaned heavily on my splitter and cutter that day. Today, my curveball was especially effective, so I could rely on that more while still sticking with what was working."

Manager Skip Schumaker noted that Eovaldi's 31 curveballs marked his highest usage of the pitch since 2019, when he was with the Boston Red Sox. "The last two outings from Evo have been fantastic," Schumaker said. "This was exactly what we needed against a really good lineup. I thought he might go the distance, but with a five-run lead, I wasn't going to push him."

The 36-year-old two-time All-Star, who pitched for the Yankees from 2015-16, followed up a seven-inning, four-hit shutout performance against New York on April 29 with this gem. Even without injured sluggers Ben Rice and Giancarlo Stanton in the Yankees' order, Eovaldi's dominance was undeniable.

Catcher Kyle Higashioka, who spent seven seasons with the Yankees, summed it up best: "He was fooling them all night. He uses every pitch to keep hitters guessing, forcing them to commit too early or too late. His stuff naturally keeps guys off balance. He's always a tough at-bat, and he really knows how to pitch. It's no surprise to me he shut them down twice."

Each of Eovaldi's standout performances snapped a three-game losing streak for Texas. In between those starts, the American League-leading Yankees (25-12) had been on a tear, scoring 46 runs while going 5-0 against the Orioles and Rangers. But against Eovaldi, even the hottest lineup in baseball has no answers.