ARLINGTON, Texas _ The sixth inning started with a reliever warming up in the Rangers bullpen. Lance Lynn was nearing 100 pitches. He'd labored through five effective innings, but was at risk of a short outing by the mercy of a large pitch count.
But Lynn got out of that sixth inning in just nine pitches. And in the half inning after, the normally serious Texas ace was in the dugout smiling and joking with someone within earshot.
Lynn pitched six innings and allowed just two hits. He struck out nine, tying a Rangers record for opening day. And after throwing a first pitch strike in the first-ever game in Globe Life Field, Lynn continued the strong effort throughout the night.
He set up the Rangers bullpen to use the guys it wanted in the late innings to preserve Texas' 1-0 win, and starting the shortened 60-game season with a win to christen the new venue.
Lynn walked a batter in each of the first four innings. He allowed a double to David Dahl in the third inning. He faced some deep counts and by no means breezed through the strong Rockies lineup.
Rangers manager Chris Woodward spoke last week about his decision to use Lynn as the opening day starter _ the first such time in the 10-year career of the All-Star. Woodward recalled everyone thinking the Rangers would use Kluber after acquiring the Cy Young award winner in December.
But Woodward felt as though it should go to either Mike Minor or Lynn, after their contributions to the team last season. He went with Lynn mostly because Minor started the opener in 2019.
Lynn proved up to the task on this unique stage. Staring him down on the mound were adjacent sections of cardboard cuts. "DoppleRangers" of President George W. Bush, Gov. Greg Abbott and former catcher Ivan Rodriguez were in his line of sight.
He struck out four of the first six outs he recorded, including the very first batter, and then the very last batter Ryan McMahon.
There was at least one Rockies runner on base in each of the first five innings. That's why the bullpen seemed like a possibility for the sixth. But that sixth inning was a clean 1-2-3, and Lynn ended the night with a zero on the scoreboard.
The Rangers scored in the bottom of that inning when Rougned Odor doubled in Danny Santana. And then Jesse Chavez pitched a clean seventh. Jonathan Hernandez worked around some base traffic in the eighth. And then Jose Leclerc closed it out after walking the leadoff batter in the ninth.
It was exactly how the Rangers hoped it would set up.
