The Texas Rangers defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-1, with Kumar Rocker delivering a strong performance on the mound. Evan Carter made a crucial catch, preventing a potential home run that could have changed the game's momentum.
Key points
Texas Rangers won 5-1 against Pittsburgh Pirates
Kumar Rocker pitched a Quality Start with five strikeouts
Evan Carter made a crucial catch to prevent a home run
Wyatt Langford left the game with forearm soreness
Rangers scored in the second and fifth innings
Texas RangersPittsburgh PiratesKumar RockerEvan Carter
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - APRIL 21: Kumar Rocker #80 of the Texas Rangers delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Globe Life Field on April 21, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - APRIL 21: Kumar Rocker #80 of the Texas Rangers delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Globe Life Field on April 21, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Rangers 5, Pirates 1
Hey, that was fun!
Texas got down two batters into the game. Oneil Cruz had a leadoff single, stole second and ended up on third when Danny Jansenâs throw ended up in center field, and scored on a Ryan OâHearn single.
Oh no!, we all thought, Kumar Rocker doesnât have it today! We are going to have to use Cal Quantrill for multiple innings!
Kumar Rocker did have it, though. As you can infer by the final score, no more Pirate runs scored the rest of the way. And after those first two leadoff singles, Rocker allowed just two hits and one walk. Rocker logged a Quality Start, striking out five. Way to go, Kumar!
Q&A
What was the final score of the Texas Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates game?
The Texas Rangers won the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates with a final score of 5-1.
Who was the standout pitcher for the Texas Rangers in the game?
Kumar Rocker was the standout pitcher for the Texas Rangers, allowing only two hits and striking out five batters.
What significant play did Evan Carter make during the game?
Evan Carter made a spectacular leaping catch at the wall, stealing a potential home run from Oneil Cruz.
What injury concern arose during the game for the Rangers?
Wyatt Langford left the game due to forearm soreness and is scheduled for an MRI on Wednesday.
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There is, however, a huge asterisk on that final line. An Evan Carter shaped asterisk.
After the OâHearn single, Rocker faced thirteen straight batters and got thirteen outs, with the one single he allowed erased on a double play ball. With one out in the fifth, Rocker was cruising.
Jake Mangum then hit a first pitch single. Konnor Griffin hit a grounder in the hole at shortstop. Corey Seager was only going to have one play, at first, but he ended up bobbling the ball, resulting in two on, one out. A Henry Davis (hey, remember him?) tapper in front of the plate moved the runners to second and third with two outs, bringing up Oneil Cruz with the Rangers up 2-1.
Evan Carter made a spectacular leaping catch at the wall, stealing a go-ahead homer from Cruz.
When Carter was going back to the wall, I was sure the ball was gone. I just knew that Carter would get there, leap, and the ball would be five feet over his glove. The Pirates had taken the lead.
But noâŠCarter got there, timed it perfectly, and made the catch of the year for the Rangers.
The Rangers added onto their lead in the bottom of the fifth, and things never felt in doubt after that. The Pirates didnât get a runner past first base over the final four innings, with Cole Winn, Jacob Latz and Jakob Junis all responsible for an inning apiece.
I thought Latz would be asked to finish things out when he came into the game for the eighth inning, though with Robert Garcia day-to-day with a sore left shoulder, Latz appears to be late inning lefty #1 right now, and thus limited to shorter outings.
The bats put up crooked numbers in the second and the fifth. A Joc Pederson single, Josh Jung double, and Evan Carter single tied the game, with Josh Smith hitting a sacrifice fly to give the Rangers a lead that they would never surrender.
If Game Winning RBIs were still a thing, Josh Smith would have gotten one for that.
The other three runs came in the fifth when, energized by Evan Carterâs catch, the Rangers chased Pittsburgh starter Carmen Mlodzinski thanks to a Smith double, an Ezequiel Duran double, and a Corey Seager single. A Jake Burger single and a Joc Pederson walk loaded the bases up, and we all hoped the suddenly super-hot doubles machine that is Josh Jung would blow things open. We settled for an RBI groundout.
Duran, incidentally, was in the game in place of Wyatt Langford, who walked and stole a base, but left the game due to forearm soreness he felt swinging the bat in his second plate appearance. Langford is getting an MRI on Wednesday, and hopefully, he is fine. If not, well, I guess it is Alejandro Osuna Time.
Kumar Rockerâs sinker topped out at 95.5 mph, averaging 93.9 mph. Cole Winn hit 96.2 mph with his fastball. Jacob Latz reached 96.1 mph with his fastball. Jakob Junis topped out at 91.7 mph with his sinker.
Joc Pederson had a 109.4 mph single. Corey Seager had a 109.0 mph groundout. Josh Smith had a 108.1 mph double. Brandon Nimmo had a 106.8 mph fly out. Jake Burger had a 104.9 mph single. Josh Jung had a 103.5 mph double and a 101.0 mph groundout. Evan Carter had a 103.3 mph single and a 100.6 mph groundout.
Texas started the homestand off on a good foot. Letâs keep it going.
