Was Rangers Win 'Big' in Series Opener Over Astros?

The Houston Astros have traditionally dominated Texas at Minute Maid Park, but lost the series opener Friday.

It’s just one loss in a long, long season, but something felt different about Friday night in Houston.

Well, maybe not for the Houston Astros.

The Texas Rangers felt otherwise.

“It’s big,” Rangers starter Martín Pérez said. “Especially from last year to this year, we have a better team, we’re pitching better, we make plays. And if we do that every night, we’re going to win a lot of games.”

The Rangers claimed the opener 6-2 of the three-game Silver Boot Series by handling the defending champion Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. That stadium has been a house of horrors for Texas over the years.

The Rangers went into the first meeting between the instate rivals just 5-29 at Houston since 2019. Make that 1-0 in 2023.

“It’s always good to get the first win on the road, especially against such a good team like this," Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “We’ve had our battles and he had his way with us quite a few years ... but we’ll be facing each other quite a few times now.”

Bochy was referring to beloved Astros manager Dusty Baker. The two longtime National League managers and World Series winners are in the same division for the first time. Baker owns a 110-82 record against Bochy, which is the most losses to anyone for the first-year Texas skipper.

They also happen to the winningest active managers, with Baker being ninth in MLB history with 2,099 wins. Bochy has 2,011 and recently passed Leo Durocher for 11th.

Baker and the Astros don’t appear to be taking Texas lightly. The AL West-leading Rangers (8-5) have talked openly about returning to playoff contention this season behind a rebuilt pitching staff and Bochy.

“You always know you’ve got to do your homework and be ready because you know that Bruce’s teams are going to be ready,” said Baker, whose team is off to a 6-8 start largely due to injuries. “He’s been a formidable foe for a long time.”

The Astros look to tie the series Saturday behind Hunter Brown (1-0, 3.09), while Texas send Jon Gray (1-1, 3.00) to the hill. First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 p.m.

More From SI's Inside The Astros:

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2. Mariners Fans Inexplicably Outraged Following Houston Astros' Social Media Post About Sweep
3. Report: Former Astros Pitcher Fiers' Contract Terminated By CPBL Club
4. Six Houston Astros Declared Free Agents
5. Watch: Yordan Álvarez's Home Run Wins Astros World Series
6. Lucas Giolito Claims All Teams Were Cheating in 2017
7. Dusty Baker Makes His Thoughts Known on Bonds and Judge Records
8. Is it Time to Move on From the Houston Astros Cheating Scandal?
9. Is There Any Hope for an Aging Yuli Gurriel?
10. Astros' Álvarez Stopped Striking Out and Became the Best Hitter in Baseball

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You can follow Art Garcia on Twitter @ArtGarcia92.