That's More Like It: After Rough Start, Max Scherzer Wins Texas Rangers Debut

Max Scherzer shakes off a rough first inning to earn his first win for the Texas Rangers.

ARLINGTON, Texas – Max Scherzer recovered after a rocky first inning to earn the win in his first start for the Texas Rangers Thursday afternoon.

The Rangers rallied to beat the Chicago White Sox 5-3 to sweep the three-game series at Globe Life Field.

Scherzer, who was acquired in a trade deadline deal with the New York Mets, struggled with his command during a three-run opening frame. The first two batters singled on hits with an exit velocity of less than 64 mph. He then walked consecutive batters, which scored the first White Sox run. After a strikeout, Gavin Sheets' 80-mph single scored two more, giving Chicago a quick 3-0 lead.

But Scherzer settled down and after allowing two more singles in the second inning, breezed through Chicago's lineup over the next four innings. He threw 56 pitches in the first two innings, but only 20 over the third and fourth innings.

Max Scherzer, Nasty 89mph Cutter. ✂️

9th K pic.twitter.com/i5PCIjNbaB

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 3, 2023

Meanwhile, the Rangers offense chipped away, first with a run-scoring double by Josh Smith in the second, then a run-scoring single by Adolis Garcia in the third. Solo home runs by Mitch Garver and Marcus Semien in the fourth put the Rangers up 4-3. Garver's single to center scored Josh Jung to add a big insurance run in the eighth. Both Jung and Garver each had two hits.

Scherzer struck out nine and walked two (both in the first inning) in six innings. He threw 105 pitches (70 strikes). He allowed only one baserunner (a two-out single in the fourth) in his final four innings.

The Rangers (63-46) open a three-game series against the Miami Marlins at 7:05 p.m. Friday at Globe Life Field.

Rangers 5, White Sox 3

Notables from Thursday's Rangers-White Sox series finale<br>

Sweep Indeed

The Rangers recorded their seventh sweep of the season and first since sweeping the Tampa Bay Rays on July 19. The Rangers (63-46) matched their third-best 109-game start done in 2016.

Striking Numbers For Scherzer

Max Scherzer's nine strikeouts in six innings are tied for the fifth-most strikeouts by a pitcher in their Rangers debut. The record is 13 strikeouts for Jamie Moyer against the Blue Jays on April 8, 1989.

Bullpen By Numbers

This is how the Rangers hoped the bullpen would look. Josh Sborz threw a perfect seventh with two strikeouts. Aroldis Chapman threw a scoreless eighth with a strikeout, and Will Smith threw a scoreless ninth to earn his 19th save. Chapman had to work out of a two-out jam after striking out Yasmani Grandal on a wild pitch. Chicago had runners on the corners but Chapman induced a groundout to third to preserve the lead.

Up Next

The Rangers open a three-game series against the Miami Marlins at 7:05 p.m. Friday at Globe Life Field. Left-hander Jordan Montgomery (6-9. 3.42) makes his first start for Texas since being acquired in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals. He faces Marlins' lefty Jesus Luzardo (8-5, 3.38).

---

You can follow Stefan Stevenson on Twitter @StefanVersusTex.

Catch up with Inside the Rangers on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram.