Rangers Give Up Three Home Runs, Drop Home Opener 5-3 to Reds
The Texas Rangers rallied back from a pair of deficits, but still fell short, losing at Globe Life Field to Cincinnati Reds 5-3.
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Texas Rangers Baseball was officially back at Globe Life Field on Friday afternoon as the team welcomed the Cincinnati Reds to Arlington. The Rangers rallied back from a pair of deficits in the game but still fell short, dropping their first game in the Metroplex in 2026, 5-3. In the ninth inning in a 3-3 tie, Chris Martin allowed what ended up being a game-winning, two-run home run off the bat of Tyler Stephenson.
“[It was a really good at-bat by Stephenson,” first-year Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said after the game. “He [Stephenson] got it in the air and hit a home run, just a really good professional at-bat right there, just a tough way to lose obviously in the ninth inning of the home opener, but we’ll be alright,” Schumaker finished. MacKenzie Gore got the start for Texas, making his Rangers home debut in the team’s first game at Globe Life Field this season.
Despite allowing a pair of home runs, Gore turned in a solid performance, going six innings, allowing six hits and three runs while not walking a single batter and striking out nine. “I think you just want two pitches back,” Gore said after the game. “I thought we attacked guys, command was good but not great, I thought Danny [Jansen] did a good job but just want those two pitches back.
” Gore retired the first four Reds he saw, striking out two of them with really sharp movement on his pitches. Unfortunately for Gore, after a single from Eugenio Suarez, Reds left fielder Spencer Steer drove a cutter into the left field seats to make it 2-0 Cincinnati. In the sixth, Gore was the latest victim of Elly De La Cruz as the Reds superstar shortstop smashed a 107-MPH line drive into the left-field seats in what ended up as Gore’s final inning.