Mahle, who underwent Tommy John surgery while with the Twins in May 2023, signed a two-year, $22 million deal with the Rangers this offseason. The injury ruined a promising ’23 season for Mahle, who posted a 3.16 ERA over five starts. On Tuesday, he was finally set to make his Rangers debut after months of rehabbing.
The Rangers were riding high after a dramatic win over the Astros the previous night, thanks to utility man Josh Smith’s walk-off homer in the 10th inning. Texas hoped to carry that momentum into a potential series victory.
Everything looked promising at Globe Life Field—until it didn’t.
Mahle had a solid performance in his return. In his first major league outing since April 27, 2023, the right-hander threw five innings of one-run ball, putting the Rangers in a strong position to win against their in-state division rivals. However, Mahle’s effort was overshadowed by Houston’s Framber Valdez, who came within one out of pitching the second no-hitter of his career.
Corey Seager broke up the no-hitter with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, launching a two-run homer on Valdez’s 107th pitch of the game. The Rangers managed to get the tying run to the plate against Houston closer Josh Hader, but Josh Jung’s hard-hit fly ball died at the warning track. Seager’s homer marked the second time in his career that he’s broken up a no-hitter with two outs in the ninth, a record only he holds.
“We were back in it,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said of Seager’s homer. “We had a good hitter up there [Jung] who got a good swing off, hit it right to the wall. That’s what you want to see, is fight at the end. And they were doing that.”
Seager’s homer was the Rangers’ only hit of the night, as Valdez faced just one over the minimum across the first eight innings. The first baserunner Valdez allowed was Jonah Heim, who reached via a throwing error by third baseman Alex Bregman in the sixth inning, but was immediately erased by a double-play ball. Marcus Semien drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the seventh but was stranded at first base.
“You still battle,” Seager said. “The game’s not over. Is it nice to not get no-hit? Yes, but we’re still losing. We were still trying to scrape some runs and figure it out [at the end]. He was just good all night. He didn’t throw anything over the heart of the plate. You tip your cap to a guy that can go out and locate every pitch that well all game. It’s tough to hit.”
Despite Valdez’s dominant performance, Mahle experienced what the Rangers’ rotation has faced all season: an inconsistent offense with a lack of run support for its starting pitchers. Nonetheless, Mahle made a strong comeback, ultimately suffering his first loss of the year.
“I felt great,” Mahle said. “It felt like I never left. I was really happy to be able to go out and compete with these guys. I trust the process. It’s cliché, but we’re here. I was happy it went the way it did for me, especially to get the first one out of the way. Obviously we took a tough loss, but getting the first one out of the way, it was huge.”
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