It’s hard to justify Opening Day as “just one of 162.”From the intros to the packed house, every player would tell you that Opening Day certainly means more than your average regular-season game.

However, when things go the way they did for the Rangers this afternoon, it becomes a little easier to see it as such.

Opening up their 54th season, the Texas Rangers fell 5-2 to the Boston Red Sox thanks to a go-ahead three-run home run in the ninth inning from Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu off Luke Jackson.

Jackson got the first shot, being the Rangers’ presumptive closer as he entered with the game tied at two in the 9th.

After striking out the first batter he saw, Jackson walked Trevor Story before rookie Kristian Campbell laced a 102.2 MPH shot, which Josh Jung was unable to pick on a shot hop, eventually landing in right field for a single.

The very next batter was Abreu, who would hit what would end up being the game-winning home run.

“He was just missing,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said about Jackson. “He wasn’t missing by much there”. “He’s got great stuff, they just got to him tonight”.

Thanks to a strong start from Nathan Eoavldi, the Rangers got the chance to setup their mostly new bullpen how they wanted to in a leverage game.

Eovaldi fired six strong innings, allowing just two runs while striking out nine and not walking a single batter. The nine strikeouts tie the Rangers’ Opening Day record for most strikeouts by a starting pitcher (Lance Lynn 9 vs Colorado 2020).

“He had four pitches going, that was Nate,” Bochy said. “He did a terrific job [threw] strikes with all his pitches, there was nothing not to like on how we threw the ball, he gave us a chance to win with some length, he gave us exactly what we were hoping for”.

Despite his manager saying there was nothing not to like about his performance, Eovaldi had other thoughts.

“We scored twice first, and the very next inning, I gave it up,” Eovaldi said. “I feel like the biggest inning in baseball is a shutdown inning, get the boys back in the dugout and keep it rolling but, I felt really good today”.

Texas struck first in the second inning when Kevin Pillar laced an RBI single to drive home the first Ranger run of the season.
However, the very next inning, Boston would get it back as a pair of singles would eventually lead to a run.

Not long into the 4th, it was another one of the Rangers’ new additions, Kyle Higashioka, who drove a ball off the center field wall to help Texas regain the lead and make it 2-1.

Once again, in the very next inning, it was Abreu who smoked a ball into the right field seats to tie it at two.

Despite, the lack of shutdown innings, Bruce Bochy was still able to set up his bullpen how he wanted to.

Robert Garcia and Chris Martin combined to pitch two scoreless innings helping Texas keep the game well within it’s grasp.

“I’ll take my chance [with] the way it went,” Bochy said. “I think we’re gonna win most of those games. It didn’t happen today, but you get some length from your starter; you get your guys out there, and that’s what you’re hoping for. “You’re just hoping someone comes through with a big hit or home run, it just didn’t happen”.