I love offense. Home runs and fireworks and slam dunks and deep bombs and eagles holed out from the fairway.
In other words, I shouldn’t be the least bit intrigued by tonight’s Rangers-Mariners game in Arlington. But I am. Big time.
Because even though I prefer 9-8, there’s still something romantic – and scintillating – about the 1-0 baseball game. The strategy. The tension. The sheer dominance of ace pitchers.
We should get that tonight when Felix Hernandez duels Yu Darvish. First one to 2 wins? It’ll be like watching a game of one-on-one between Bill Russell and Dikembe Mutombo, two of the greatest defensive players in the history of basketball.
Darvish, last season’s Cy Young runner-up, has yet to allow a run in 2014. In 15 innings over two starts he has 15 strikeouts. Hernandez, the 2010 Cy Young winner, is also off to an impressively stingy start, going 3-0 with a 2.11 ERA and leading the AL with 30 strikeouts.
Adding to the unique chemistry will be the struggling offenses of the Rangers and Mariners. The teams rank 20th (Seattle) and 22nd (Texas) in runs scored. Monday the Rangers mustered just one run in a 5-1 loss. Last night the Mariners were shut out by the Rangers’ Robbie Ross.
Chances are tonight there will be more strikeouts than hits and runs you can’t count on one hand. And I’ll be on the edge of my seat for every one of them.
Sports Connection
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A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He currently lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
