Texas Rangers' Nathan Eovaldi Joins Club of Elite Pitchers in Baseball History

Eovaldi had another dominant outing on Thursday against the hapless Oakland Athletics. He joined an exclusive club in baseball history in the process.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi took advantage of a hapless Oakland Athletics lineup on Thursday night en route to a place in baseball history. 

Eovaldi went 8.2 impressive innings, throwing 113 pitches in the win. He allowed just three hits, one walk and stuck out 12.

Per @OptaSTATS on Twitter:

MLB pitchers in the modern era to throw 25.0+ scoreless innings with 25+ strikeouts and 3 or fewer walks over a 3-start span: 

Walter Johnson (1913) 

Sandy Koufax (1963) 

Bob Gibson (1968) 

Orel Hershiser (1984) 

Clayton Kershaw (2015) 

Nathan Eovaldi, @Rangers (2023)

MLB pitchers in the modern era to throw 25.0+ scoreless innings with 25+ strikeouts and 3 or fewer walks over a 3-start span:

Walter Johnson (1913)
Sandy Koufax (1963)
Bob Gibson (1968)
Orel Hershiser (1984)
Clayton Kershaw (2015)
Nathan Eovaldi, @Rangers (2023)

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) May 12, 2023

That's certainly obscure history, but it's a great company to be a part of. Everyone on that list except Hersheiser is a Hall of Famer or a future Hall of Famer.

Eovaldi has been excellent to start his Rangers tenure. He's out to a 5-2 start with a 2.70 ERA. He's struck out 56 batters in 53.1 innings.

He was part of the Rangers spending binge in the offseason; the Rangers are seeking a trip to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. The team invested in him, Andrew Heaney and Jacob deGrom on the mound. Last offseason, they spent on Corey Seager, Marcus Semien and Jon Gray.

Eovaldi spent the previous 4.5 years in Boston where he helped the Red Sox win the 2018 World Series. He made his major league debut in 2011 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and has also pitched for the Marlins and Yankees.

He has a lifetime 72-70 record with a 4.10 ERA.

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