Opening Day is the most special day for baseball players and fans alike. However, it isn’t always fruitful for half of the teams that the game of baseball features. Such was the case for the Texas Rangers on Thursday at Kauffman Stadium against the Kansas City Royals. The atmosphere was electric, but the 14-10 final score wasn’t the intended outcome as they fell short in the end. Here is a recap of the Rangers’ season opener.
Pitching Problems
Perhaps it was a case of nerves for Rangers starter Kyle Gibson. He was looking forward to getting the ball for the first contest of the season. It was his first career Opening Day start for Gibson. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the pageantry of this particular day, but you have to keep in mind that it’s just one game. In a disappointing effort, Gibson went just one-third of an inning. By the time, he took the mound, he already had a five-run lead to work with, and when manager Chris Woodward came out to take the ball from him, he had given all of them back, tying the game at 5-5. Hopefully, he can get back on track in his next start.
At the Plate
In the top of the first inning, the Rangers seemed to have found magic. The first seven men that came to the plate reached base. They were able to take the aforementioned five-run lead in an inning that seemed to go on forever. Overall, they were able to score six runs in the first two innings. Kansas City starter Brad Keller had his own struggles, going just one and one-third of an inning, allowing six runs on nine hits. As a final total, the Rangers scored 10 runs on 15 hits. First baseman Nate Lowe drove in four of those runs with two hits.
Unique Records
It was certainly a game that had a lot going on. Rangers outfielder David Dahl celebrated a birthday during this game and joined Bob Watson of the New York Yankees as the only players in Major League history to get three hits on their respective birthdays.
Main Image
Embed from Getty Images
Players Mentioned
David Dahl, Bob Watson, Nate Lowe, Brad Keller, Joey Gallo, Chris Woodward, and Kyle Gibson.
