The Texas Rangers secured a 3-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night, powered by Kyle Higashioka’s two-run homer and Nathan Eovaldi’s milestone strikeout.
The win marked a memorable night for Eovaldi, who recorded his 1,500th career strikeout, while Higashioka’s big hit gave Texas a lead they would not relinquish.
Key Performances
Kyle Higashioka played a pivotal role with a two-run homer in the fifth inning that put the Rangers ahead 3-2. His liner just cleared the left field wall off Seattle starter George Kirby, who had previously been dominant against Texas but lost for the first time in 11 career starts against the Rangers.
Nathan Eovaldi (1-2) continued his strong season with six solid innings, allowing just two runs on six hits. He struck out seven, including Josh Naylor for his 1,500th career strikeout to end the first inning. Despite a shaky start, Eovaldi settled in and kept the Mariners at bay.
Jacob Latz followed with two perfect innings of relief, setting a franchise record by holding opponents hitless in 28 at-bats to start the season. Latz’s efforts helped preserve the lead for Texas.
Jakob Junis closed out the game in the ninth inning, pitching around consecutive singles to pick up his second save in as many games, matching his career total from 253 career appearances.
Mariners’ Struggles and Highlights
Seattle took a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning thanks to a timely RBI single from Cal Raleigh, who provided the Mariners’ only runs of the game. Raleigh’s hit came just one night after he hit his first homer of the season.
Despite George Kirby (1-2) throwing eight strong innings and giving up just six hits, the Mariners couldn’t hold onto their lead. Kirby had previously been dominant against Texas, with a career ERA of 0.97 against them, but struggled in the decisive fifth inning.
Kirby’s solid outing was marred by a throwing error and a couple of timely hits that gave the Rangers the advantage.
Game Recap
- Texas Rangers: 3 runs, 6 hits, 7 strikeouts, 0 errors
- Seattle Mariners: 2 runs, 8 hits, 7 strikeouts, 1 error
Up Next
The series concludes on Wednesday with Bryan Woo (0-0, 1.38 ERA) starting for the Mariners, while the Rangers will send MacKenzie Gore (1-0, 3.97 ERA) to the mound.
