ARLINGTON -- The A’s found their power stroke in a historic way Friday, belting three homers in the top of the first inning for the first time in franchise history en route to an 8-1 victory over the Rangers at Globe Life Field. The A’s are now alone atop the AL West as the teams opened this series tied for first.
Nick Kurtz started the barrage against Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi, sending a first-pitch fastball a Statcast-projected 417 feet into the right-field seats. Kurtz’s exit velocity was 115.9 mph, tied for the A’s hardest-hit homer since Statcast tracking began in 2015. Two batters later, Carlos Cortes turned on a 2-0 splitter that sailed over the right-center-field fence. Tyler Soderstrom followed Cortes by launching a first-pitch fastball into the right-field seats.
The three home runs came in the game’s first seven pitches and combined to travel a projected 1,222 feet. It made history for the A’s, who entered having played 9,757 road games without hitting three or more home runs in the opening frame.
It provided a rare cushion for the A’s, too, as they entered with the fewest runs scored in the first inning. In the first 25 games, the A’s were outscored 19-4 and had no home runs in the opening frame.
That narrative flipped Friday, surprisingly against a pitcher who had tormented them in the past. Eovaldi entered with a 2.54 ERA in 15 career starts against the A's, including throwing seven scoreless in an 8-1 Rangers victory on April 13.
But the A’s jumped on him in the first and again in the fifth. Cortes homered for a second time, swatting a three-run blast over the right-field fence.
Those runs were enough for A’s starter Luis Severino, who turned in his best and deepest start of the season with 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball. He struck out five and walked one, the fewest walks he’s issued this season.
Severino also benefited from a terrific catch by center fielder Zack Gelof, who tracked down a deep fly ball at the wall from Brandon Nimmo to end the fifth.