A couple of big innings early to get a comfy lead, and good pitching throughout.
A 10 strikeout game from Jacob deGrom, his first double-digit K game since May 10, 2025. Just one walk. Just one run, when Oneil Cruz once again sent a ball into the stratosphere. I’m glad to see Oneil Cruz leave town.
A very impressive 21 whiffs from deGrom in the game — nine on his fastball, six on his slider, four on his changeup and two on his curve.
That’s tied for the fourth most swings-and-misses in a game this season. Shota Imanaga and Dylan Cease have each had a 24 whiff game, and Jacob Misiorowski had a 22 whiff game.
Interestingly, Nathan Eovaldi and Jack Leiter are the only two pitchers this year in the majors to generate 20 swings and misses in a game.
The one walk was on a 3-2 pitch to Ryan O’Hearn with two outs in the sixth. That was the last batter deGrom faced, as the Rangers continue to be cautious with his pitch count (deGrom ended the night with 89 pitches) early in the season.
Gavin Collyer was summoned to finish out the sixth and while he maintained his perfect ERA he scared us in the process, hitting Nick Gonzales with a pitch and then issuing a four pitch walk to Spencer Horwitz before getting Konnor Griffin to ground out to end the inning.
Jalen Beeks and Jakob Junis each pitched a scoreless inning before Peyton Gray came in for the ninth in his major league debut. He retired all three batters he faced, with the final out coming on a Griffin strikeout, which was Gray’s first major league strikeout.
So a day after both the starter and the pen had problems, the starter and the pen were very good for Texas.
Texas threatened early against Pirates starter Bubba Chandler, loading the bases in the first on a Brandon Nimmo single, a Corey Seager single, and a Josh Jung HBP before Evan Carter got called out on strikes on a 2-2 pitch to end the inning. Carter challenged the K call, and it was close, but the pitch just nicked the zone.
Chandler wiggled out of a two on, two out situation in the second after Alejandro Osuna singled and Nimmo walked, with Joc Pederson hitting one deep the opposite way, but not deep enough.
Not deep enough in the Shed, at least. Per Statcast, it would have gone out at Fenway, at the Juice Box, at Petco, at the Rogers Centre, at Citizens Bank Park, and at Rate Field.
It was fun-having time in the third, though, as, after a Josh Jung single, Evan Carter hit a blast to right center that caromed off the wall and resulted in an inside-the-park home run. Look!
The inside the park home run is, I think, the most fun play in baseball. I still remember, as a kid, watching Toby Harrah and Bump Wills hit back-to-back inside the park home runs off of Ken Clay at Yankee Stadium. Its one of the most memorable Rangers moments of my childhood.
The Rangers turned a small lead into a big lead in the fourth. Josh Smith walked and stole second. Alejandro Osuna walked. After Brandon Nimmo fanned, Joc Pederson singled home Smith. Corey Seager followed that up by yanking a 1-0 Bubba Chandler changeup down the right field line and into the stands for a three run bomb. That made it 6-0 Rangers, and the offense at that point decided to save the rest of the runs they might have scored for the weekend.
Incidentally, regarding Pirates pitcher Bubba Chandler…Bubba is not an acceptable name for a pitcher. If you are named Bubba you need to be a position player. Probably an outfielder, but maybe a big beefy first baseman.
Bubba Chandler does throw really hard, at least. If you’re a pitcher named Bubba, you should at least be bringing the gas.
I feel like the nickname Bubba has gone out of style of late. When I was younger it seemed like there were lots of Bubbas around. I had a teammate named Bubba on my little league team. He was the best player on the team, and I think if you’re a little leaguer you don’t get to be called Bubba unless you’re one of the best players on the team. You can’t be named Bubba and be bad. Kind of like the rule that, if you are a baseball player and your uniform number is “1,” you should be a small guy, but you have to be a good small guy. You can’t be a bad small player and wear “1.”
Also, if you are named “Bubba,” you kind of have to have an edge to you. Like, I was thinking about who on the Rangers would be the best one to be nicknamed “Bubba,” and I was thinking about Evan Carter, but he seems to nice to be a “Bubba.”
My preferred bubble gum as a kid was Hubba Bubba. I don’t know if they still make that. I’m kind of out of the chewing gum game.