Nicholas latest Rangers rookie to shine in 7-3 victory over Mariners

Brett Nicholas joked with Texas Rangers pitching coach Doug Brocail that if he could just catch the first pitch from Colby Lewis, then everything would be OK in his major league debut.

The Rangers’ newest catcher had some nerves coursing through his system Monday night at Safeco Field, where family had gathered in the stands to watch is first career game.

Then, Nicholas threw out a runner trying to steal second base. Then, he and Lewis got on the same page between innings. Eventually, he collected the first two hits of his career in a 7-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners.

A day after Nomar Mazara stole the show in his debut, Nicholas did the same.

“Most importantly, the team won,” Nicholas said. “For me personally, to get a couple knocks and just help these guys win a ballgame, it’s a dream come true.”

Lewis allowed one run on four hits in six innings, but only two sixth-inning hits after the Mariners scored the game’s first run in the first inning. The right-hander said that he and Nicholas spoke as the Rangers batted in the second and decided to ditch the off-speed pitches he threw at the Mariners five days ago.

Lewis got Adam Lind to end the first after Nelson Cruz’s RBI double, then set down 12 straight batters before Leonys Martin reached on an infield single to start the sixth.

“Hats off to Brett,” Lewis said. “He did a great job back there tonight. After the first inning, we talked a bit and got fastball-heavy. I felt like fastball was going to be one of the big players and it was.”

Rougned Odor drove in three runs, Prince Fielder drove in two, and Ryan Rua collected a team-high three hits as the Rangers tallied 14 hits and beat Hisashi Iwakuma for the first time since 2013.

Mazara and Nicholas had two hits apiece. Nicholas scored in the seventh and the eighth on Mazara’s sacrifice fly to cap a three-run inning.

Nicholas’ job, though, is to get pitchers through their innings.

“To get a couple knocks, that’s just the cherry on top,” he said.

Afterward, Nicholas and his family, many of them from Tacoma just to the south of Seattle, gathered on the field for a group photo. Front and center was Frank McCabe, Nicholas’ 92-year-old grandfather who introduced him to baseball.

That moment and his night rates as the No. 1 highlight of Nicholas’ career.

“Just to have him here means the world,” Nicholas said. “He taught me the game and taught me to love the game, and to be able to show him the happiness that is this game and to be here in front of him is a memory I will never forget. It’s No. 1 in my book.”　　

This story was originally published April 12, 2016 at 1:19 AM with the headline "Nicholas latest Rangers rookie to shine in 7-3 victory over Mariners."