SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Who starts on Opening Day when you have two aces? It was a fairly easy decision for Rangers manager Skip Schumaker.
Schumaker announced on Sunday that Nathan Eovaldi would be the Rangers' starter for Opening Day in Philadelphia on March 26, while co-ace Jacob deGrom would start the home opener on April 3 against the Reds in Arlington.
“I think that's a pretty easy decision, with the leadership [Eovaldi] provides and the standards that he set,” Schumaker said. “I know you could probably make an argument for all three of those guys with Evo, deGrom and [MacKenzie] Gore. So I shouldn't say it's an easy decision, but it does line up for another guy to have the home opener start, which I think is important as well. They both deserve one of those, so this was a no-brainer for me to give each of them that opportunity.”
Eovaldi, who also started Opening Day for Texas in 2024-25, becomes just the fourth pitcher in Rangers history (since 1972) to make three or more consecutive Opening Day starts, joining Kevin Millwood (2006-09), Nolan Ryan (1990-92) and Charlie Hough (1987-89). deGrom started on Opening Day for Texas in 2023.
In total, this will be Eovaldi’s sixth Opening Day start; he made three with the Red Sox from 2020-22.
“I think they're all very special,” Eovaldi said. “Whether it's the first [Opening Day] or this one, I take a lot of honor and pride in going out there and being able to represent the Rangers on Opening Day. … It’s my responsibility to go out there and have a strong quality start and set the tone for the season.”
Last season, Eovaldi was one of the best pitchers in baseball, posting an 11-3 record with a 1.73 ERA in 22 starts with 129 K's over 130 innings before his season ended prematurely with a rotator cuff strain on Aug. 26.
He led a Rangers rotation that was the best in baseball with a 3.41 ERA. Now, they return Eovaldi, deGrom, Jack Leiter, Kumar Rocker and Jacob Latz, while also adding Gore via trade this winter.
It’s not lost on Eovaldi that he was chosen for Opening Day among a group that contains a number of All-Stars and young aces in the making.
“The rotation that we have, we're stacked,” Eovaldi said. “We’ve got a lot of guys that are able to go out there and have the Opening Days and do really well out there as well. Being able to be the first one to start the season, it's a huge honor for me.”
Both Eovaldi and deGrom joined the Rangers ahead of the 2023 season and were huge parts of that World Series-winning club, even though deGrom was injured for most of the year. But on top of that, they’ve both been instrumental in establishing the winning culture in the Texas clubhouse.
Eovaldi and deGrom aren’t the most vocal leaders. They don't relish the spotlight. But behind the scenes, they’re doing everything a leader should do for their team.
“The beauty about our team is we have three of those guys,” Schumaker said. “[Corey] Seager doesn't like [the attention]. deGrom and Evo don’t either. It doesn't mean they're not making an impact. Just because people don't see it, doesn't mean it's not happening. And it's definitely happening.”