Texas Rangers pitcher MacKenzie Gore delivers during the first inning during the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in Arlington.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
ARLINGTON — First, you should know the real reason the Rangers swept Seattle to start the week: It was all about the tracksuits. Some neon yellow and gray concoctions that, on an attempt at slump-busting catchers Kyle Higashioka and Danny Jansen wore to the park Monday.
The Rangers won. On Tuesday, a handful more guys dug into their stash of promo Nike materials and found their complimentary night road-crew duds, too. Won again. By Wednesday afternoon, after a third straight win, almost everybody in the clubhouse, Nike guys or not, had donned the suits for their flight to Los Angeles.
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“We didn’t really know how bad they were,” Higashioka said after a 3-0 win Wednesday. “We almost audibled out of them. But you do what you have to do.”
So, there you have it: It was fashion, not fastballs that paved the way.
Though who could blame anybody for thinking that maybe the starting rotation had a little something to do with it. There was at least a shred of evidence. The Rangers trio of Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and newcomer MacKenzie Gore, who started Wednesday, combined to allow three runs and just 12 baserunners in 16 innings over the series. The Rangers, bullpen included, have allowed two or fewer runs in each of the last five games.
Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob Degrom delivers during the first inning during the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field on Monday, April 6, 2026, in Arlington.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
There was also this: The Rangers top trio simply outdueled the Mariners’ top three pitchers. That’s not insignificant. Seattle has what most consider to be the best rotation in the AL. And over the three games, the Mariners sent their best — Logan Gilbert, George Kirby and Bryan Woo.
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But the Rangers rotation was OK, too, last year. After all, they did manage to lead the AL in rotation ERA a year ago and they decided to double down on that by trading five prospects for Gore. New opinion: It may still be challenging for the Rangers to score runs at Globe Life Field; imagine how difficult it is for opponents when facing that trio. It may be especially challenging for Seattle since the Mariners’ regular lineup tilts toward the left side, an advantage for the left-handed Gore.
READ MORE: After Rangers’ low-scoring first homestand, might Globe Life Field be where baseballs go to die?
“When you face a rotation like you’re facing over there, and then you can match up with MacKenzie Gore on Day 3, you feel pretty good coming to the ballpark against a really good pitcher,” manager Skip Schumaker said. “He’s a bona fide ace on most staffs. I feel like he still could be. He’s a No. 1; we just have two other No. 1s.”
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Said Gore: “This has been a pretty easy rotation to fit into. You just kind of go there and do your job. And when you are around a lot of really good players, you just try to keep up with them. These are great teammates and they’ve made it an easy transition. When you are around good players, they kind of naturally push you. It’s been fun to watch, and it’s easy to kind of learn how to attack hitters doing what they do.”
Texas Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi throws to the Seattle Mariners in the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in Arlington, Texas.
AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez
Over the first two nights, he watched deGrom hold Seattle to a run on a hit in five innings and Eovaldi hold them to two in six innings. Then he struggled to attack, walking two of the first three hitters and logging a heavy first-inning pitch count. He did find a way to adjust his fastball to get it back to a more competitive spot and struck out Randy Arozarena and Brendan Donovan to strand the runners. But his pitch count rose to 26, significant since the Rangers had only planned to use him for about 80-85 pitches since he’d been the one starter to work regularly on four days’ rest the first two weeks of the season.
Then Gore had to go and make Schumaker reconsider. Including Arozarena and Donovan, he retired 11 consecutive Mariners, seven of them by strikeout. After Mitch Garver singled to start the fifth, the lone hit allowed by Gore, he racked up another strikeout and a double play. He was at 82 pitches. The Rangers scored three runs in a long bottom of the fifth, taxing Woo. Schumaker didn’t hesitate; he still pulled Gore.
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“I want these guys for six-plus months,” Schumaker said. “The goal is to keep our starting pitching healthy the whole year. I mean next month, next start even, that’s definitely going to happen where I send him back out there. But we felt gameplan-wise, it was the smartest thing for him and for us. We want him to make 30-plus starts for us.”
“Having him in the mix with all the guys we have and the different repertoires — we’ve got sinkers, sliders, power fastballs and all of that — is great,” Eovaldi said. “To have that from the left side, especially against [Seattle] is massive.”
Massive? Maybe that’s an overstatement. What about the tracksuits?
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Texas Rangers pitcher MacKenzie Gore reacts after a double play to end the top of the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in Arlington.
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Texas Rangers second baseman Josh Smith and catcher Danny Jansen (9) celebrate after both scored during the fifth inning during the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in Arlington.
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From left, Texas Rangers catcher Danny Jansen, outfielder Brandon Nimmo (24), shortstop Corey Seager, pitcher Cole Winn and second baseman Josh Smith celebrate after the final out of a 3-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners of a baseball game at Globe Life Field on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in Arlington.
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Texas Rangers catcher Danny Jansen is caught stealing as Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford applies the tag during the sixth inning of a baseball game at Globe Life Field on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in Arlington.
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Texas Rangers outfielder Brandon Nimmo celebrates after a double during the thired inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in Arlington.
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A fan holds a sign referencing the weekday afternoon game during the first inning of a baseball game between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in Arlington.
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Ray Polk of the Arlington Police Department sings the national anthem before a baseball game between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in Arlington.
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Texas Rangers pitcher MacKenzie Gore delivers during the second inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in Arlington.
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Texas Rangers pitcher MacKenzie Gore delivers during the second inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in Arlington.
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Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodríguez can’t make a leaping play on a double off the bat of Texas Rangers outfielder Brandon Nimmo during the third inning of a baseball game at Globe Life Field on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in Arlington.
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Seattle Mariners right fielder Rob Refsnyder makes a leaping catch at the wall on a ball off the bat of Texas Rangers second baseman Josh Smith during the third inning of a baseball game at Globe Life Field on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in Arlington.
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Texas Rangers infielder Ezequiel Duran blows a bubble between pitches during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in Arlington.
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Seattle Mariners right fielder Rob Refsnyder makes a leaping catch at the wall on a ball off the bat of Texas Rangers second baseman Josh Smith during the third inning of a baseball game at Globe Life Field on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in Arlington.
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Texas Rangers catcher Danny Jansen (9) and first baseman Jake Burger can’t make a play on a foul ball off the bat of Seattle Mariners catcher Mitch Garver during the fifth inning of a baseball game at Globe Life Field on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in Arlington.
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Texas Rangers second baseman Josh Smith singles during the fifth inning during the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in Arlington.
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Texas Rangers pitcher Luis Curvelo points out a foul ball during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in Arlington.
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Texas Rangers pitcher Cole Winn reacts after the final out of a 3-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners of a baseball game at Globe Life Field on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in Arlington.
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Texas Rangers pitcher Luis Curvelo reacts after the the third out in the top of the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in Arlington.
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Texas Rangers pitcher Luis Curvelo looks up at a foul ball as he follows through on a pitch during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in Arlington.
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