Rangers' Opening Day was perfect … except for the score
Everything was perfect … except for the score.
More than 47,000 fans were in attendance for Opening Day at Globe Life Park Thursday afternoon.
The reigning World Champion Houston Astros picked up where they left off in 2017 with a 4-1 win over the Texas Rangers.
Among the 47,253 announced paid attendees was a sizable contingent of Astros fans.
Former President George W. Bush and wife Laura and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred were on hand for the game, which included a flyover by planes from the Cavanaugh Flight Museum in Addison before the national anthem.
It was all perfect: the weather, the atmosphere and the match-up of Lone Star rivals. But the game was a dud for Rangers fans.
George Springer led off the game with a home run against Cole Hamels to give the Astros a quick lead. He's the first player in MLB history to lead off Opening Day games with home runs in consecutive seasons.
Alex Bregman followed with a double to left but Hamels retired the next three batters, including strikeouts of Carlos Correa and Marwin Gonzalez to escape more damage.
Houston added runs in the third and fourth innings to take a 3-0 lead. The first three batters reached in the third on a single and two walks before Jose Altuve's sacrifice fly scored Brian McCann.
After walking Correa, Hamels induced an inning-ending double play from Gonzalez to escape the jam.
Jake Marisnick homered to left in the fourth. Hamels allowed three runs on five hits and four walks in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out seven.
Justin Verlander held the Rangers scoreless on four singles over six innings. Adrian Beltre had two of the hits, which give him 3,050 for his career. The Astros added a run in the eighth against Matt Bush on Correa's double to right-center.
Elvis Andrus singled and later scored on a wild pitch in the ninth for Texas' lone run.
This story was originally published March 29, 2018 at 5:39 PM with the headline "Rangers' Opening Day was perfect … except for the score."