ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers wasted little time setting the tone Friday night.
Fueled by a four-run first inning, three home runs and 6 1/3 scoreless innings from MacKenzie Gore, the Rangers rolled to a 9-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals before a sellout crowd of 39,704 at Globe Life Field.
The win snapped Texas’ seven-game losing streak in series openers and marked the club’s first victory in the opening game of a home series since April 21 against Pittsburgh.
After Kansas City threatened in the top of the first, Gore settled in and took control.
The left-hander escaped a two-on, two-out jam in the opening frame and proceeded to limit the Royals to just two singles over the next six innings. Gore allowed four hits, walked one and struck out three while throwing 99 pitches to earn his fourth win of the season.
The outing continued an impressive stretch for Gore, who has posted a 1.69 ERA over his last four starts while helping stabilize the Rangers’ rotation.
Texas immediately rewarded its starter with offensive support.
The Rangers scored four runs with two outs in the bottom of the first inning, their highest two-out scoring output in a single frame this season. Ezequiel Duran delivered the biggest hit of the rally, lining a two-run single into center field to put Texas firmly in control.
The power display followed later in the game.
Brandon Nimmo launched a towering 435-foot two-run homer into the right-field seats in the fifth inning to extend the lead. An inning later, Nicky Lopez added a two-run blast into the Rangers bullpen for his first home run since September 2024.
Joc Pederson capped the scoring in the eighth inning with a solo shot that barely cleared the wall down the right-field line. The home run was Pederson’s fourth in as many games and his seventh of the season.
Duran continued his recent hot streak with two RBIs, giving him 13 RBIs over his last 11 games. Josh Jung added a double and extended his productive stretch at Globe Life Field, where he is batting .366 this season.
Kansas City entered the night struggling and could not generate much offense against Gore and the Rangers bullpen. The Royals were held scoreless until Vinnie Pasquantino’s RBI single in the ninth inning ended the club’s 23-inning scoreless drought.
Royals starter Stephen Kolek suffered his first loss of the season after allowing six runs, four earned, over five innings. The right-hander entered the game with a 2.77 ERA but saw it climb after Texas’ early offensive barrage.
The victory improved Texas to 2-3 on its current seven-game homestand and provided a much-needed spark after recent struggles. With the opener secured, the Rangers will look to build momentum and clinch the series over the final two games of the weekend set against Kansas City.
