{"id":165652,"date":"2026-03-17T16:06:26","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T16:06:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=165652"},"modified":"2026-03-17T16:06:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T16:06:26","slug":"rangers-manager-explains-decision-to-give-nathan-eovaldi-opening-day-start-over-jacob-degrom-mackenzie-gore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=165652","title":{"rendered":"Rangers manager explains decision to give Nathan Eovaldi Opening Day start over Jacob deGrom, MacKenzie Gore"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.clutchpoints.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Nathan-Eovaldi-on-Feb.-20-2026.-1.jpg?w=1200\" alt=\"Texas Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (17) delivers to the plate in the second inning against the Kansas City Royals at Surprise Stadium.\" \/><\/p>\n<article id=\"article-3736535\">As the Texas Rangers will start Nathan Eovaldi on Opening Day, the decision was made over other pitchers like Jacob deGrom and MacKenzie Gore, leading some to be surprised. With the Rangers preparing in spring training for the 2026 season, manager Skip Schumaker would give insight into the decision to start Eovaldi on Opening Day.<\/p>\n<p>While Texas looks to get back to the promised land after winning the World Series in 2024 and not making the playoffs the year after, 2026 is looking to be a year they&#8217;d like to make some noise. For Schumaker, he would go as far as to say that Eovaldi starting Opening Day was a \u201cpretty easy decision.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith the leadership [Eovaldi] provides and the standards that he set,\u201d Schumaker said, according to MLB.com. \u201cI know you could probably make an argument for all three of those guys with Evo, deGrom, and [MacKenzie] Gore. So I shouldn&#8217;t say it&#8217;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.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Rangers&#8217; Nathan Eovaldi on getting the Opening Day nod\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Though the Rangers&#8217; decision by Schumaker to go with Eovaldi could be shocking with deGrom and Gore on the roster, the manager would also emphasize how crucial it is to start the home opener after. However, Eovaldi&#8217;s last season was impressive, recording a 1.73 ERA to go along with 129 strikeouts and an 11-3 record in 22 starts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think they&#8217;re all very special,\u201d Eovaldi said. \u201cWhether it&#8217;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. \u2026 It\u2019s my responsibility to go out there and have a strong quality start and set the tone for the season.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At any rate, Texas&#8217;s starting rotation with Eovaldi, deGrom, and Gore looks to be dangerous in 2026, as Opening Day for the Rangers is on Thursday, March 26, against the Philadelphia Phillies.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the Texas Rangers will start Nathan Eovaldi on Opening Day, the decision was made over other pitchers like Jacob deGrom and MacKenzie Gore, leading some to&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":165653,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-165652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - 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