Inside The Rangers

Veteran Catcher Demolishes Texas Rangers In Historic Performance

The Texas Rangers had no answer for Atlanta Braves catcher Travis d'Arnaud on Friday.
Tyler Maher|
Apr 19, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves catcher Travis d'Arnaud (16) celebrates with teammates.
Apr 19, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves catcher Travis d'Arnaud (16) celebrates with teammates. | Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

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The Texas Rangers didn't lose to the Atlanta Braves on Friday night. They lost to Travis d'Arnaud.

d'Arnaud demolished the Rangers with three home runs and six RBIs in his first three at-bats, powering the Braves to an 8-3 victory at Truist Park.

Texas pitchers simply had no answer for the 35-year-old backstop, who entered Friday's contest with no homers, four RBIs and a .200/.250/.311 batting line through 14 games. As Atlanta's No. 8 hitter, he didn't appear to be a major threat.

That changed in a hurry, however, as d'Arnaud suddenly morphed into Babe Ruth in the batter's box. Literally.

With the score tied at 1-1, d'Arnaud gave the Braves their first lead of the game with his solo shot off Rangers starter Andrew Heaney in the bottom of the second. No runs were scored until d'Arnaud's next at-bat in the bottom of the fifth, which ended with the same result -- another solo bomb against Heaney.

Heaney came out of the game after that frame, but there was no stopping d'Arnaud. He launched a grand slam his next time up in the bottom of the sixth, breaking the game open and putting Atlanta ahead for good.

d'Arnaud had one more chance to make history in the bottom of the eighth, as no MLB catcher has ever hit four homers in a game. He was finally retired, however, grounding out to end the frame.

Still, d'Arnaud became the 18th catcher in MLB history with at least three home runs and six RBIs in the game. He also became the oldest Braves player with three homers and six RBIs in a game since Ruth in 1935, back when the team played in Boston.

Normally, nobody would confuse the two. But for one night, at least, they had something in common.

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Tyler Maher
TYLER MAHER

Tyler is a writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Rangers. He grew up in Massachusetts and is a huge Boston sports fan, especially the Red Sox. He went to Tufts University and played club baseball for the Jumbos. Since graduating, he has worked for MLB.com, The Game Day, FanDuel and Forbes. When he's not writing about baseball, he enjoys running, traveling, and playing fetch with his golden retriever.

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