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.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
ARLINGTON — The Texas Rangers beat the Seattle Mariners 8-3. This came right after Cincinnati defeated the Rangers 9-4. Mind you, these are not game scores. They are three-game series sweep totals from the local squad’s first homestand.
Globe Life Field … where baseballs go to die?
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I’ll readily admit it’s a small sample. But I will also say that, even seated high behind home plate in the press box, Jake Burger absolutely crushed a Bryan Woo pitch to left field, 98 mph exit velocity and all the rest, and Randy Arozarena did not even need to jump at the wall. Just lift his glove.
The Rangers hit two home runs in their opening six-game homestand. They didn’t hit much of anything while getting swept by the Reds, but if Joc Pederson and backup catcher Kyle Higashioka have your only long balls after six home games, it’s fair to wonder if it’s going to be another long, dry summer for the Texas hitters.
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Now don’t get me wrong. The bottom line is that the Rangers’ outstanding pitchers were better than the Mariners’ outstanding pitchers, and given that Seattle is the defending AL West champ and supposedly the club Texas needs to chase, it’s just fine to be sitting at 7-5 with the Mariners down in the basement at 4-9.
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And manager Skip Schumaker doesn’t think the dead air inside Globe Life is any kind of a factor in the low-scoring baseball (4.0 runs per game, both teams) played here the last six days.
“I think it’s pitching, quite honestly, for both teams. We have faced some pretty dang good starting pitching in this homestand, and we’ve thrown some good guys at them, too,’’ Schumaker said. “I can’t give you right now that it’s the ballpark. I wouldn’t use that as a crutch at all.’’
In fact, Rangers president Chris Young said the team’s data said that fly balls are carrying 4 feet deeper this season than last. I’m not sure exactly how that’s calculated — is this all fly balls? Just deep fly balls? What about balls that fall into the half-line drive, half-fly ball category? — but I’ll take their word for it. When college teams played here in February, Oklahoma won the tournament by outscoring three teams 32-6. Young said that data from those games indicates the balls were flying. Naturally, metal bats played a fundamental role in that.
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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“The narrative of this stadium is ‘extreme pitchers’ park’ that suggests balls are being held here. But it normalized last year in August and September,’’ Young said.
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The suggestion is that when it heats up, even with the retractable roof slammed shut just as it was on a wonderful spring afternoon Wednesday (sad face emoji), the baseballs carry better. Maybe that will be the case. Certainly traveled deep enough to right field on an October night a few years back when Corey Seager and Adolis Garcia came up late in a game with Arizona.
The most significant thing about life in the less gorgeous but considerably cooler Globe Life facility is that the Rangers win here. They win a lot. And if they’re going to compete with Seattle or whoever emerges as the top competition in the West, they need a great home record. That was never a problem in the three years that Bruce Bochy managed here.
Texas is the only MLB club to have won at least 10 more home games than road the last three seasons. Seattle and Philadelphia did it the last two but not three. The Rangers were 50-31 here in 2023 when they won the World Series and were 44-37 a year later when they finished below .500. Last year, with an 81-81 finish, the Rangers went 48-33 in this park. Terrible on the road, they consistently made up for it at home.
That’s why the opening sweep by the Reds seemed a little on the scary side, even after the club went 4-2 against the Phillies and Orioles on the road. Now they have evened the score here at home and won’t play another game here until April 21 after a nine-game swing through Los Angeles, Sacramento and Seattle.
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The bats need to heat up on the road because that has been a different game for the Rangers. Texas outscored Baltimore and Philly 32-27 the first six games out of town. They tied Seattle and Cincinnati 12-12 over six games here. Yes, a wildly different game.
“Our record here the last three years has been phenomenal,’’ Young said. “So if we can do what we did on the road and start to play well at home, we should have a good year.’’
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MacKenzie Gore’s nine strikeouts in five scoreless innings got the ball rolling Wednesday and a surprisingly well-staffed bullpen (so far) did the rest. It stands to reason there will be some interesting and important baseball played here as spring turns to summer.
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Just don’t come here looking for Home Run Derby.
On Twitter/X: @TimCowlishaw
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.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
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.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
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
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.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
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.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
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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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 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.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
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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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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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 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 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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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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