ARLINGTON, Texas (KWTX) — Braxton Ashcraft had much of his hometown in the stands as he turned in a career-best start against the Texas Rangers, pitching the Pittsburgh Pirates to an 8-4 win at Globe Life Field.
Ashcraft, a 2018 Robinson High School graduate and an MLB second-round draft pick, is from the small Central Texas community about 110 miles south of the Rangers’ ballpark. He threw a career-high seven innings and a career-high 94 pitches. He allowed four hits and two runs, walked two and struck out five.
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Braxton Ashcraft winds up to deliver to the Texas Rangers in a baseball game Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)(Tony Gutierrez | AP)
Ashcraft’s father, Tony, his mother, Karen, and his wife, Cassidy, visited with KWTX and said Robinson fans came out in full force.
“It was just like any other, truly, except we had a lot more people here,” Tony told KWTX. “It’s a hometown crowd and even though we’re at a hostile place, we had probably two or three hundred people here, which was amazing and it just shows how our village shows up.”
The turnout included a group of fourth graders from the Viper baseball team in Robinson Little League — the same league where Ashcraft grew up playing.
“My favorite part from last night had to be Braxton Ashcraft pitching,” said Cru Williams, 10. “He’s a good pitcher, one of my favorite pitchers as well.”
The turnout included a group of fourth graders from the Viper baseball team in Robinson Little League — the same league where Ashcraft grew up playing.(Courtesy Photos)
Alicia Williams, Cru’s mother, said the trip came together after she found out Ashcraft would be starting against Texas.
“Last night was definitely a core memory for us parents and 11 Robinson fourth graders and their siblings,” Williams said. “It all started last week — I reached out to my mom friends about taking the boys to the game when I found out Braxton Ashcraft was pitching against the Texas Rangers.”
She said a friend’s husband, Steven Lewis, rented a 15-passenger van and the group made Ashcraft T-shirts for the game.
The Robinson boys also got to meet Braxton Ashcraft’s father, who thanked them for coming and offered advice.(Courtesy Photo)
“Seeing a hometown hero actually make the dream so many little boys want a reality was the best part,” Williams said. “All these boys play Robinson Little League and some are select players — it just shows them with hard work anything is possible.”
Williams said the boys also got to meet Ashcraft’s father, who thanked them for coming and offered advice.
“I think his talk meant more than anything to these boys,” she said. “He took time to thank each boy for coming and shook their hand and then told them exactly what it takes.”
“Braxton Ashcraft’s dad told us ‘if you want to be down there on the field you have to be a good citizen, be a good student and listen to your parents,” Cru added.
Pittsburgh Pirates’ Braxton Ashcraft interacts with a teammate after striking out Texas Rangers’ Evan Carter in the fourth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)(Tony Gutierrez | AP)
Ashcraft, 25, is still early in his major league career. He made his MLB debut on May 26, 2025, after being called up from Triple-A, and later earned his first big-league win on June 8 when he recorded the final four outs in a 2-1 victory over Philadelphia.
For the young players from Robinson, the night in Arlington was a close-up look at what a path from Little League to the big leagues can look like — and, for one start, a reminder that they didn’t have to travel far to find a big-league example from home.
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