Another night, another dazzling debut. At this rate for the Rangers, getting new will never get old.
A day after Nomar Mazara loudly announced his arrival to the majors, rookie catcher Brett Nicholas filled in for another injured Ranger with an impressive first game. Nicholas, pressed into duty in the wake of starter Robinson Chirinos’ broken arm, had two hits and threw out a runner at 2nd base to help Texas beat Seattle, 7-3.
What we’re learning quickly is how dominating the Rangers’ Triple-A team down at Round Rock should have been. With Jurickson Profar, Joey Gallo, Mazara and now Nicholas on that team, just wow. Sunday it was Mazara getting three hits and a homer filling in for Shin-Soo Choo. And now comes Nicholas, called up from Round Rock and immediately giving the Rangers hope they can at least stay afloat amidst their sketchy catching concerns.
Nicholas, a 27-year-old drafted by the Rangers in 2010, doubled in the 7th and scored a run. But his important play may have come in the 1st inning behind the plate. As Colby Lewis struggled, he threw out Aoki attempting to steal after a lead-off walk. Nelson Cruz’ double later in the inning scored only one run and from that point Lewis, the Rangers and Nicholas cruised.
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 lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
