Now sporting dad Al's lucky number, Leiter already feeling 22

BALTIMORE -- When Jack Leiter takes the mound, it’ll look a little different this season.

The Rangers’ second-year starter switched to No. 22 for 2026, adopting his family’s lucky number, which his dad, Al Leiter, wore for eight years in the big leagues.

A pitcher as talented as Leiter doesn’t really need luck. But in his season debut on Monday night, he looked every bit of the ace in waiting the Rangers believe they have.

Leiter dealt a quality start in the Rangers’ 5-2 series-opening win over the Orioles at Camden Yards, striking out eight in six innings of two-run ball. His 21 whiffs are the most he’s collected in an MLB game. His single-game high in Triple-A was 21 whiffs.

“I think there was a lot we did really well,” Leiter said. “Obviously, we'll go back and see. I think there were some execution lapses. But there were stretches in that game where we were executing really well, and we were executing the plan really well, and we felt in control. That’s a fun place to be.”

Whiffs by pitch:

• Changeup: 8
• Slider: 8
• Curveball: 3
• Cutter: 2

“Jack's got so many different pitches to get guys out with right now, and he feels confident in all of them,” manager Skip Schumaker said. “In the first inning, the first-pitch strikes probably weren't ideal, but it just shows you what kind of stuff he has to get back into counts again. The changeup was elite, with the swings and misses. It was just a really good performance.”

Maybe the most encouraging part of Leiter’s outing was how it started and how he bounced back.

In the first inning, he got just one called strike, while allowing a Gunnar Henderson solo homer and an Adley Rutschman double.

“From a process standpoint, that was the worst way you could start off a game, like 1-0, 2-0 to every guy,” Leiter said. “But I was grateful that I didn't throw that many pitches and limited the damage.”

In the dugout between innings, Rangers ace Nathan Eovaldi noticed a mechanical cue -- Leiter getting “swingy” in his windup -- that contributed to his first-inning struggles. That tweak, combined with a quick adjustment to the Orioles’ approach, made for a quality outing.

“I think the other thing was they kind of showed us what their approach was, and until they showed us differently, it was going to be like we were assuming,” Leiter said. “I don't know what the sequence broke down to, but that was probably the least I've thrown my four-seam fastball ever in a game. But that's what the game called for, and that's what we did. Just thinking on our toes and adjusting the game plan as we see fit, and going with what's working.”

He allowed just one baserunner (a walk to Colton Cowser in the second) over the next three innings and only three more hits (all singles) the rest of his outing.

"I think the first inning, he was throwing a lot of heaters, which we expected,” said Orioles infielder Coby Mayo. “Once we put some swings on it, he started switching to more offspeed. To his credit, he was throwing the slider in good spots and started whipping out the cutter a little bit more to righties more than he has ever. And then, changeup was working. So I think he was just putting some of the pitches in good spots, and just a credit to him. It was a good night for him."

It’s only one game. But it’s hard not to feel optimistic about Leiter’s outlook in 2026 and beyond.

Leiter has always had ace potential. His 2025 season (3.86 ERA in 29 starts) was more than encouraging. This quality start could be the start of an even better quality year.

“I think he's becoming a pitcher,” Schumaker said. “It's not just power stuff where he overpowers you. It's a credit to our pitching staff. [Pitching coach] Jordan Tiegs has been outstanding with him from day one. Those two have been glued to the hip. But also [Eovaldi] is sitting right next to him, [Jacob] deGrom is sitting right next to him. These guys are pitch makers. They're not just they're just gonna grip it and rip it. They have an idea of what they want to do each time they're out there. I think the combination of Jordan Tiegs and those veteran guys are huge for him.”

“[Tonight] was just a carryover from his last start last year. I think this is who he's going to be.”