UNDATED (AP) — An announced crowd of over 38,000 attended the Texas Rangers’ home opener against the Toronto Blue Jays. The governor was not among them.
The Rangers were the first team to approach capacity with their stadium since the coronavirus shutdown of sports more than a year ago. All 40,518 seats at Globe Life Field were for sale, and the game was played under an open roof. Infectious disease experts are mixed on the view of the club’s decision.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott opted not to throw the ceremonial first pitch, announcing the decision hours before gametime. The Republican governor said he made his decision after Major League Baseball moved the MLB All-Star Game from Atlanta in response to Georgia’s sweeping new voting laws.
As for the game, Marcus Semien and Cavan Biggio hit back-to-back homers as the Blue Jays posted a 6-2 win over the Rangers.
Steven Matz was sharp in his Toronto debut, striking out nine while limiting Texas to a run and two hits over 6 1/3 innings.
Also around the majors on Monday:
— Giancarlo Stanton hit a 471-foot grand slam over the visitors’ bullpen in leading the Yankees over the Orioles, 7-0. Aaron Judge also homered and Jordan Montgomery allowed four hits in six innings as New York handed Baltimore its first loss.
— Pinch-hitter Mike Yastrzemski hit a go-ahead home run in the seventh inning to send the Giants past the Padres, 3-2. Darin Ruf and Evan Longoria also went deep against San Diego, which lost star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. to a partially dislocated left shoulder.
— Corey Seager and Zach McKinstry drove in three runs apiece and Will Smith homered off the left field foul pole as the Dodgers pounded the winless Athletics, 10-3. Justin Turner also went deep as the defending World Series champions provided plenty of support for starter Dustin May, who struck out eight and allowed just two hits over six shutout innings.
— Yermín Mercedes continued his early season tear with three hits and Carlos Rodon struck out nine as the White Sox three-hit the Mariners, 6-0. Mercedes is the first player since at least 1900 to collect 12 hits in his first four career starts, doing it since the season opener on Thursday.
— Mike Trout hit his first home run of the season and Shohei Ohtani came off the bench to score the go-ahead run during an eighth-inning rally that sent the Angels past the Astros, 7-6. Los Angeles scored four times in the eighth to hand Houston its first loss of the year following a four-game sweep at rival Oakland.
— Xander Bogaerts provided four of the Red Sox’s 16 hits in their first win of the season, an 11-2 thumping of the Rays. Boston scored two more in the sixth and four in the eighth, when J.D. Martinez banged a three-run homer halfway up the Pesky Pole.
— The Phillies are 4-0 after erupting for five runs in the eighth inning of a 5-3 victory over the Mets. A throwing error by Mets third baseman Luis Guillorme allowed the go-ahead runs to score after Jacob deGrom blanked Philadelphia on three hits over six innings and 77 pitches.
— Mike Moustaskas smacked a tying homer and Nick Castellanos followed with the go-ahead blast as the Reds topped the Pirates, 5-3. Jose De Leon tied a career high with nine strikeouts and allowed two runs, three hits and two walks over five innings to help the Reds secure a third straight win.
— Willson Contreras, Javier Báez and David Bote homered during a four-run fourth that sent the Cubs past the Brewers, 5-3. Trevor Williams pitched perfectly until Omar Narváez singled leading off the sixth, one inning before hitting a three-run homer and two days after breaking up a no-hitter in the eighth inning.
— Yadier Molina laced a two-run double while the Cardinals scored three times in the first inning of a 4-1 victory against the Marlins. Daniel Ponce de Leon allowed one run and three hits in five innings for St. Louis.
— Whit Merrifield drove in Kansas City’s runs with a homer and a sacrifice fly in a 3-0 win over the Indians. Danny Duffy Duffy threw two-hit ball over six innings to beat the Indians for the third time in four starts.
— Nelson Cruz hit a grand slam, a solo homer and a double for the Minnesota Twins in a 15-6 pounding of the Tigers in Detroit. Winning pitcher Matt Shoemaker held the Tigers hitless until Wilson Ramos homered with two out in the fifth.
