ARLINGTON – The best pitch of the night came before the game.

What’s more amazing: Everything that followed was pretty sharp, too, especially considering neither the starter nor the closer in the Rangers’ 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels Wednesday were in the organization when spring training started.

But before we get to the work of Patrick Corbin and Luke Jackson, there was the matter of Braxton Bochy delivering a sinker at the bottom of the zone to his papa, birthday boy Bruce Bochy. The whole thing was a surprise that left a 70-year-old guy who has spent nearly 30 years as a manager and won four World Series in the process just a bit sentimental.

“I gotta get on him a little: I wanted the pitch up a little higher,” Bochy said. “And he threw it down at my feet. He was pretty nervous and got a little overwhelmed. But it was a special moment. I didn’t know anything about it until I saw him come out right before the game. It was a little emotional for me to have him throw it. It’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. And I think he will, too.”

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Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy walks to home plate with his grandson Braxton before he threw out the ceremonial first pitch before their game against the Los Angeles Angels at Globe Life Field in Arlington, April 16, 2025.(Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)

Now, about the pitch: Braxton was just being considerate. The six-year-old said after the game that if he gave ol’ Papa his best heater, it might have “passed him out.”

And if it had, well, Bochy would have missed another gem by a rotation that currently has the lowest ERA (3.12) in the AL despite having two rookies and a guy who signed in the last week of spring training after posting a 5.62 ERA a year ago.

Corbin hadn’t thrown to catcher Jonah Heim until his pre-game bullpen before his debut a week ago. He pitched in miserable wet 35 degree weather, allowing the Chicago Cubs three runs in 4 ⅓ innings. It was all the Rangers really wanted of him: Get them to the fifth. Keep them in the game.

The second time around, it looked like he and Heim had been partners for years. Using a sharp slider, they zipped through five shutout innings having faced just one batter over the minimum. After not striking out a single Cub, he struck out six Angels.

“We used his pitches better tonight,” Heim said. “He really stayed off the center of the plate and when they’ve got to put good swings on pitchers’ kinds of pitches, that usually works out pretty well.”

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Said Corbin: “We were on the same page and were able to attack these guys the way that we wanted to. It allowed for some quicker outs. I think we had a good combination to keep them guessing.”

When the lineup turned over a third time, Bochy started mixing relievers. He was a bit limited with Chris Martin needing a day off, but Shawn Armstrong and Jacob Webb got the Rangers to the ninth, combining to allow one runner from the sixth through the eighth. Webb, pitching for the third time in four days, retired all four hitters he faced, though the first one, pinch hitter Logan O’Hoppe, backed left fielder Dustin Harris up against the wall.

In the ninth, Bochy turned to Jackson, who didn’t sign until a week into spring training, was named the closer on opening day, allowed a three-run homer in his first appearance … and hasn’t allowed a run since. He needed just six pitches to work the ninth, extending his scoreless streak to 7 ⅔ innings. He threw first pitch strikes to all three hitters and let the fielders do the work. In his last four outings, Jackson has pitched 3 ⅔ innings with only one strikeout, but on just 37 pitches. The efficiency has made him readily available whenever Bochy has called.

Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy (15) receives the ceremonial first pitch from his grandson Braxton before their game against the Los Angeles Angels at Globe Life Field in Arlington, April 16, 2025.(Tom Fox / Staff Photographer)

“These guys have been worked hard, too,” Bochy said. “But they’ve done a terrific job of picking each other up when somebody needs a break. It’s really cool to see how they are coming in and doing the job and giving us a chance to win.”

Said Jackson, now in his 10th season: “Misfits in the bullpen stick together and create a bond. We all would rather give up our own runs than somebody else’s and we’ve done a good job of picking each other up.”

It made for a nice little birthday present, evening the manager’s record at 12-12 on his birthdays. So, too, was the whiskey barrel-shaped cake in the clubhouse and a table display featuring all the baseball cards from his career.

Alone, it made for a lovely birthday. Having his grandson throw him the first pitch just made it even sweeter. Even if it was a bit low for the old catcher’s taste.

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