Carter Baumler Debuts in Rangers Bullpen Escaping Late-Inning Jam

For Carter Baumler, the good vibes began on Monday when Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker walked to the mound at Globe Life Field and told him that he had made the opening day roster.

On Thursday, he was thrown in the fire for the first time at Citizens Bank Park against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The 24-year-old had family and friends at the game as he entered in the eighth inning and the Rangers losing, 5-0. It could have been culture shock for the Des Moines, Iowa, native who went to the same Dowling Catholic school as WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark. After all, he had never pitched above Double-A before Thursday. So, what did he think?

He said the only difference was “46,000 fans,” per Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News (subscription required).

Carter Baumler’s Debut

Carter Baumler... you have your first big league strikeout! pic.twitter.com/QItLCO7THe
— Rangers Sports Network (@RangersSNtv) March 26, 2026

He pitched a scoreless inning, but it was adventurous. He started by walking Philadelphia third baseman Alec Bohm. He induced a flyout from Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott and then followed that by striking out former Rangers slugger Adolis Garcia. But with two outs, things got a little dicey.

He gave up a double to outfielder Brandon Marsh, which moved Bohm to third base. Baumler hit Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto with a pitch to load the bases. He then faced rookie Justin Crawford, a Top 100 prospect, who popped to Rangers third baseman Josh Jung in foul territory to end the threat.

He threw 25 pitches, 15 of which were strikes, as he gave up one hit, one walk and one strikeout.

Schumaker was impressed with how Baumler handled the issues.

“That was a special moment for him,” he said to Rangers Sports Network. “You remember your first opening day, your first outing in a hostile environment. I mean it was a cool experience for him. He got out of the jam, got a strikeout. I think he did a lot of firsts today so I’m glad he came out of it with the zero.”

The Rangers acquired Baumler during the Rule 5 draft in December. Texas didn't select him. Pittsburgh selected him from the Baltimore Orioles. But the Rangers made a trade to acquire him. His Rule 5 draft rights still apply. He had to make the Texas opening day roster or be offered back to his original team. Now, he must remain on the active roster or be offered back.

If he can stack up more zeroes like that, he’ll be with the Rangers for a while.