Rangers shatter 120-year drought with eight-run opener against Astros

The Texas Rangers delivered a historic offensive display on Tuesday night at Globe Life Field, scoring eight runs in the first inning to secure a 10-7 victory over the Houston Astros. The outburst marked the first instance in Major League Baseball history where a team has scored eight or more runs in the opening frame immediately following a game in which they were no-hit, a feat last accomplished by the Chicago White Sox in 1905.

The dramatic turnaround came just 24 hours after the Astros completed a combined no-hitter against the Rangers on Monday night. That previous contest featured six no-hit innings from Tatsuya Imai, followed by relief pitching from Steven Okert and Alimber Santa to complete the shutout, ending a drought for no-hitters in MLB that had persisted since 2024.

Tuesday’s first inning was anchored by a sequence of hits that dismantled the Astros’ starting pitcher, Jason Alexander. Jake Burger opened the scoring with a two-run single to centre, followed by a two-run triple from Evan Carter and a double from Ezequiel Duran. Joc Pederson then cleared the bases with a three-run home run to right field, his fourth of the season, extending the Rangers’ lead to 8-0.

Alexander allowed six hits and nine runs before being removed in the sixth inning. Although the Astros mounted a late comeback, scoring two runs in the eighth and a solo home run from Jeremy Peña in the ninth, the deficit proved insurmountable. The Rangers’ early dominance ensured the victory, snapping a four-game losing streak and improving their record to 25-29.

The win keeps the Rangers in third place in the American League West standings. While the team remains in a competitive divisional race, the emphatic response to the previous night’s no-hitter provided a significant psychological boost, effectively erasing the impact of the Astros’ historic pitching performance.