CINCINNATI -- Jack Leiter and Gavin Lux battled in the fourth inning of the Rangers' eventual 1-0 win over the Reds at Great American Ball Park on Wednesday.
It got to a full count as Lux fouled off pitch after pitch.
Finally, on the ninth pitch of the at-bat, Leiter won, getting Lux to chase a slider outside the zone and stranding Elly De La Cruz at third base to end the inning. Leiter let out a visible sigh of relief as he strutted off the mound.
It wasn¡¯t Leiter¡¯s final batter of the game -- that was a strikeout of Spencer Steer to end the fifth inning -- but it was the most important.
¡°That part of the game is not really a time to get fired up, because there's still work to be done,¡± Leiter said. ¡°It was only like the fourth inning, but, yeah, there was a man on third, Elly always causes problems and Lux was putting together a tough at-bat. Those long at-bats, when they finish in a punchout, it's always nice.¡±
That at-bat was a real illustration of how much Leiter has changed as a pitcher over the past year. Where things used to fall apart and spiral out of control, now, he locks in. Mistakes that used to be right over the plate and hit out of the park are now on the edges and fouled off.
¡°It¡¯s pitchability,¡± said manager Bruce Bochy. ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re seeing. He¡¯s not trying to bull his way through lineups. He's throwing strikes. He is not putting guys on base. He's pounding the strike zone, not beating himself. It's a very, very competitive game. When you start putting guys on, you start beating yourself a little bit. He's not doing that.¡±
Leiter faced just one over the minimum as he dealt five scoreless innings against the Reds before he was removed from the game at just 70 pitches. The Rangers said he was removed as a precaution due to a blister on his pitching hand. He could've kept going, but they didn't want to push it too hard and make it worse.
It was the first scoreless start of Leiter¡¯s short big league career.
¡°He just looks like he's confident on the mound,¡± said catcher Jonah Heim. ¡°He looks like he trusts all his stuff. He's throwing his heater where he wants to. He's getting ahead of guys. That¡¯s the biggest difference. He's hitting corners, he's making nasty pitches, and I think he just trusts all his stuff.¡±
One day after veteran Nathan Eovaldi twirled a Maddux to carry the Rangers to a 1-0 victory in Cincinnati, the rookie Leiter followed suit with an electric start of his own. After allowing 14 runs in the series opener on Monday, Texas gave up just seven hits and walked none while striking out 18 over the final two games of the series.
This is the first time in franchise history that the Rangers have won back-to-back 1-0 games. It's also the first time it¡¯s ever happened at Great American Ball Park, by either the Reds or an opponent.
¡°It's pretty cool to watch someone pick apart a lineup the night before, and especially a right-handed pitcher with a similar arsenal,¡± Leiter said of Eovaldi. ¡°He's better than [anyone]; he's an expert. Watching him just attack last night was obviously pretty cool. Going into today, it felt pretty similar to college, pitching after Kumar [Rocker] when he would dominate the night before.¡±
Leiter earned the first win of his career on Friday against the Red Sox, tossing five innings of one-run ball in his 2025 debut. At the time, it was by far the best start of his career. He¡¯s already one-upped that one.
He¡¯s got 10 strikeouts against just one walk over his first 10 innings this season. Bochy and Heim emphasized how much they can see Leiter¡¯s confidence grow each time out.
He¡¯s always had great stuff: That¡¯s what made him the Rangers¡¯ first-round Draft pick (No. 2 overall) in 2021. But now he¡¯s confident in all his pitches and learning when and how to use them best.
¡°I think confidence all comes from preparation,¡± Leiter said. ¡°If you let it waiver with results -- which is hard not to do -- it's hard to be consistent. It¡¯s just about understanding that there are going to be highs and lows, and preparing accordingly, and just really committing to my daily process, preparation and routine. That's where my confidence is coming from. It feels really good. I think you're kind of doing it wrong if you're not always evolving and getting better.¡±