In 2021, Tyler Mahle emerged as one of baseball’s more underrated starting pitchers as a member of the Cincinnati Reds.

Unfortunately, that was just about the last time he was fully healthy… until now.

“I was kinda of away from the game and not pitching for two years,” Mahle said. “That’s a lot of time to try to figure out who you are and what you’re good at. “I’ve had two years to think about that, and I’ve just tried to go out and do exactly that”.

[2021] I felt good, and I was pitching well, and then, I’ve been hurt the whole time after that, so I think I’m still the same pitcher; I’ve just had some time to hone in on what I’d like to do.

Mahle’s performance tonight was much like the ones he turned in throughout 2021 as he fired 6 shutout innings with a career-high 9 strikeouts while earning his third win as Texas blanked the Angels 4-0.

After tonight’s game, Mahle’s 0.92 season ERA leads all qualified pitchers in Major League Baseball.

“I think more than anything, he’s just a little further away from the surgery,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said after the game when asked about the difference in Mahle from this season to last.

“Last year, he was throwing the ball well and had a little setback there but he had a full Spring Training and I think he’s confident that he’s healthy too and that’s a big part of it when that’s behind you and he’s throwing the ball the way he know he can”.

For much of the game, it didn’t look like the Rangers’ offense would be able to help Mahle earn his third win as they were blanked through five innings.

In the bottom of the sixth, when Mahle’s night was set to be complete, Leody Taveras manufactured a run by leading off the inning with a bunt single, stealing second and advancing to third on a throwing error before scoring on a Marcus Semien sac fly.

“We couldn’t get a lot going offensively there,” Bochy said. “Something like that, it can get a team going”.

After Taveras’ run in the sixth, the Rangers added three more timely insurance runs, one in the seventh on back-to-back doubles from catching duo Jonah Heim and Kyle Higashioka and two in the 8th thanks to Josh Jung and Kevin Pillar.

“We did some good things tonight,” Bochy said. “The back-to-back doubles, but defensively we made a couple of huge double plays”.