Rangers' Nathan Eovaldi reaches 1968 Bob Gibson territory in win vs. Yankees

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (17) throws during the eighth inning against the New York Yankees at Globe Life Field.

The Texas Rangers shut out the New York Yankees 2-0 on Tuesday night, powered by a historic outing from Nathan Eovaldi.

Eovaldi tossed eight scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, a soft double by Anthony Volpe in the third inning with an exit velocity of 62.2 mph. He struck out six batters and walked none, facing only 25 hitters, one over the minimum. His season ERA dropped to 1.38, while his WHIP sits at 0.84 with 111 strikeouts and 20 walks over 111 innings in 2025.

Eovaldi has allowed one run or fewer in 13 of his last 14 starts. In the modern era, the only other pitcher to match that feat in a 14-start span (excluding openers) is Bob Gibson in 1968, according to OptaSTATS.

This outing also placed Eovaldi among franchise greats as he became just the fourth pitcher in Senators/Rangers history to record a start of eight scoreless innings with one or zero baserunners allowed, joining Kenny Rogers (perfect game, 1994) and Yu Darvish (one out short of a perfect game, 2013).

The Rangers’ offense struggled all night, going 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position, leaving 10 runners on base and eight in scoring position. But Rowdy Tellez finally broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the eighth with a 10-pitch, two-RBI single that scored Adolis García and Joc Pederson. It was the only offensive breakthrough Texas needed.

Eovaldi’s masterclass was timely. Just a night earlier, the Rangers’ bullpen had been taxed after starter Patrick Corbin managed only three innings. Eovaldi’s eight innings allowed manager Bruce Bochy to hand the ball to Phil Maton, who sealed the win and earned his third save of the season.

Bochy praised Eovaldi postgame, saying, “I don’t know what else to say about him. I mean, what a job. Tremendous effort with his stuff and focus. Eight innings. We needed it. We couldn’t score a run, and for him to do what he did today just says so much about him. He’s fun to watch. You’re seeing pitching at his finest when he’s out there. We needed it. We had our guy out there. What a job he did.”

With the win, the Rangers improved to 60-55, climbing within half a game of the Yankees (60-54) in the AL Wild Card standings. Eovaldi also improved his record to 10-3, bolstering his case as one of the league’s best and the Rangers’ ace of the 21st century.