Texas Rangers Super Utility Star Makes Scoreless Pitching Debut in Blowout Loss

The Texas Rangers basically ran out of relievers on Monday night and had to turn to a position player to finish a blowout loss.

Sep 21, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers third base Ezequiel Duran (20) fields a ground ball and turns a double play during the fifth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field. | Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

For the first time this season, everything failed the Texas Rangers.

The Rangers went to face the Cincinnati Reds in their first road trip of the season on a frigid night and everything went off the rails. Texas lost, 14-3, dropping the Rangers’ record to 3-2.

Rookie right-hander and top prospect Kumar Rocker got, well, rocked. He lasted three innings, gave up seven hits and six runs. He walked two and struck out three. He also allowed two home runs.

The Rangers needed length from their young starter because their bullpen worked hard during the four-game home opening series against the Boston Red Sox. The Rangers won three of those four games, but several of those relievers worked three games, including Chris Martin and Luke Jackson.

Entering the game, manager Bruce Bochy felt that he had the bullpen coverage he needed to get through Monday. That must have assumed that Rocker would give Texas a quality start, which he was unable to do.

Bochy turned to the two relievers that worked the least in the Boston series. Marc Church and Gerson Garabito both worked just one game in the four-game set.

Church came on first and went 1.1 innings, giving up no hits and no runs. He walked two and struck out two.

He handed the ball to Garabito and, well, the game got sideways again. He was on the mound for a six-run Cincinnati sixth and basically took one for the rest of the bullpen, which needed a day off.

He threw 2.2 innings, giving up seven hits, eight runs — but only four earned — with three strikeouts. He didn’t walk a hitter, but he also gave up a home run.

With the Reds up 14-3 in the eighth, MLB rules allow a position player to pitch. So Bochy turned to one that had never done it before — super-utility player Ezequiel Duran.

He retired the side in order.

Ezequiel Duran wizard of strikezone 🤣@rangers pic.twitter.com/b7ep4pRFJ8

— Bobby (@welcomeMLB) April 1, 2025

Santiago Espinal grounded out, Spencer Steer grounded out and Jake Fraley flew out.

Duran threw just six pitches, five of which classified as curveballs per Statcast. He had a maximum velocity of 43.9 mph and a minimum velocity of 40.2 mph.

Rangers lose 14-3. This is Ezequiel Duran's pitching debut in the eighth inning. It was a 1-2-3 scoreless inning. Maybe he should have started? pic.twitter.com/XZeaIDXPBN

— Matthew Postins (@PostinsPostcard) April 1, 2025

But he got the job done and that’s what matters, right?