Gore, Rangers outduel Mariners for first sweep over Seattle since 2023

ARLINGTON -- Kyle Higashioka said it best on Tuesday night: “It gets kinda tiring losing to the same team.”

Rangers fans know that all too well. And the players feel it just the same about the Mariners.

A week of pitching duels concluded on Wednesday afternoon, when the newest Rangers pitcher MacKenzie Gore went head-to-head against Mariners starter Bryan Woo to finish off the three-game set at Globe Life Field.

Gore allowed just one hit in five scoreless innings, while the Rangers offense ignited a fifth-inning rally to propel Texas to a 3-0 win and a series sweep over Seattle.

The victory marked the Rangers’ first sweep over the Mariners since Sept. 22-24, 2023. Texas has been 0-9-0 in series play against Seattle since that sweep, including 3-10 in 2024 and 3-10 again in 2025.

“It’s hugely important,” Higashioka said. “Them and the Astros are definitely our biggest rivals. Any time we can beat these guys, it feels good, because they played us really tough, especially the last couple years."

On Seattle being a thorn in the Rangers’ side over the last few years, Texas ace Nathan Eovaldi said that doesn’t matter all that much for 2026. It’s a new year and the Rangers have swiftly turned the page.

“We're a very different team than we've been in years past,” Eovaldi said. “A lot of people don't realize it. We have had our struggles against those guys, and we have had them earlier on this year. There are a lot more games. But for us to be able to take these is huge, especially with how little we play each other and the tiebreakers and things like that. It's huge to make sure that we're winning these games against our division teams.”