TORONTO -- Cal Quantrill has not pitched many times in his native home of Canada.
The Port Hope, Ontario, native had made only two starts at Rogers Centre -- which is approximately 67 miles/108 kilometers southwest of his hometown -- despite being a starter for the majority of his eight-year big league career.
Quantrill has persisted as a quality arm out of the bullpen for the Rangers in 2026. But due to injuries in the rotation, he was called upon to step up and start a bullpen game on Saturday in Toronto, his second spot start of the season.
He delivered, twirling four scoreless innings as he carried the Rangers to a 7-4 bullpen game victory over the Blue Jays to secure the first three games of the four-game set.
Quantrill now has a 1.59 ERA in his home country in his career.
It’s hard to overstate just how important the bullpen game victory was for the Rangers.
Entering the day, the Rangers' bullpen had a 3.74 ERA, tied for fourth in the American League with the Blue Jays themselves. Even so, the group has struggled on the road of late, having posted an 8.33 ERA (25 ER in 27 IP) over the last eight games away from Arlington.
It wasn’t without its bumps, especially in the middle innings. But with Quantrill in the lead, and 31-year-old rookie Peyton Gray throwing 2 1/3 scoreless innings himself, the Rangers were able to muscle through a major victory.