Mike Napoli ready to catch Justin Verlander
"My first major league at-bat was against him in Detroit," Napoli said Monday, with some national reporters around that hadn't heard the story. "I hit a homer. It was a curveball with two strikes."
Napoli smiled as he talked about it and admitted that he still has the ball.
On Tuesday night, Napoli will be behind the plate when Verlander makes the first pitch of the All-Star Game at Kauffman Stadium.
"That's pretty awesome," Napoli said. "He’s a Cy Young winner and one of the best pitchers in the game. It should be a cool experience. Hopefully that can give me some insight on how to hit against him."
Richard Durrett
ESPNDallas.com
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Richard Durrett
Richard Durrett joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. He writes about colleges, the Dallas Stars and the Texas Rangers. Richard spent nine years at The Dallas Morning News covering the Rangers, Stars, colleges, motorsports and high schools.
Tim MacMahon
Tim MacMahon joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. Tim covers the Cowboys and Mavericks. He has covered the local sports scene from high schools to colleges to pros during his six-year tenure at The Dallas Morning News. MacMahon is a graduate of UNT.
103.3 FM ESPN PODCASTS
Play Podcast Jim Bowden joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett for his weekly visit to discuss a hypothetical Jurickson Profar for Cliff Lee trade, how he would handle Profar's playing time with the Rangers and more.
Play Podcast Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus joins Galloway & Company to discuss having Scott Boras as his agent, his new contract and having Jurickson Profar in the lineup.
Play Podcast Rangers manager Ron Washington joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett for his weekly visit to discuss Yu Darvish's pitch count and how he spends time in the clubhouse during weather delays.
Play Podcast Nolan Ryan joins Galloway & Company for his weekly visit to discuss the latest Rangers news.
Play Podcast Reid Ryan joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss his new position with the Houston Astros and whether he could see his dad, Nolan, joining him there in the future.
Play Podcast ESPN MLB Insider Jayson Stark joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss if the Rangers are the best team in baseball, what makes them so good and if he thinks the team will trade Jurickson Profar.
Play Podcast Jim Bowden joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss Ron Washington's decision to send Yu Darvish to the mound for the eighth inning Thursday night and how he would handle a situation like that if he were still a GM.
Play Podcast Randy Galloway, Matt Mosley and Glenn "Stretch" Smith discuss the latest Rangers news, including the Yu Darvish-Justin Verlander matchup.
UPCOMING GAMES
| W-L | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEX | 32-17 | 15-7 | 17-10 | W3 | |
| SEA | 20-29 | 11-11 | 9-18 | L8 |
| W-L | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEX | 32-17 | 15-7 | 17-10 | W3 | |
| ARI | 27-22 | 13-12 | 14-10 | L1 |
| W-L | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEX | 32-17 | 15-7 | 17-10 | W3 | |
| ARI | 27-22 | 13-12 | 14-10 | L1 |
TEAM LEADERS
| WINS LEADER | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Yu Darvish
|
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| OTHER LEADERS | ||||||||||||
| BA | I. Kinsler | .302 | ||||||||||
| HR | N. Cruz | 12 | ||||||||||
| RBI | N. Cruz | 35 | ||||||||||
| R | E. Andrus | 31 | ||||||||||
| OPS | M. Moreland | .910 | ||||||||||
| ERA | Y. Darvish | 2.84 | ||||||||||
| SO | Y. Darvish | 91 | ||||||||||
- There are no games scheduled for today.
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