The rivalry between the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros has quickly become one of the best in baseball.
Ever since the Astros moved to the American League West Division back in 2013, the Silver Boot Series has taken on a new level.
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On Friday, the Rangers will take on the Astros for the first time this season, officially kicking off the battle for the boot in 2026.
Texas has not won the Silver Boot since 2016, following the Astros’ run of dominance, but early on this season, things have not been the same.
Houston enters play on Friday with a 17-28 record after their pitching has struggled out of the gates this season.
Still, Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said after the team’s win on Wednesday that Houston is still a good team, and Texas certainly can’t afford to take any team lightly.
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The search for winning the Silver Boot starts with Friday night’s contest, where first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. at Daikin Park in Houston.
Fans can catch all the action on CW33 in the DFW area as part of their broadcast package of select Friday night Ranger games. On the radio side of things, the game will still be on 105.3 The Fan.
Looking to get the Silver Boot series started right, the Rangers will turn to Jack Leiter, who enters play with a 1-3 record and a 4.85 ERA on the season.
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In his last start on the Rangers’ homestand, Leiter went just four innings in what he called a “grindy” outing.
Leiter did, however, make those four innings scoreless in a game that the Rangers would go on to win.
No doubt the Rangers will look for Leiter to go deeper on Friday night to avoid having to use a ton of their bullpen on the first game of the road trip.
Offensively, the Rangers will face Spencer Arrighetti, who is having a very strong season despite the Astros pitching struggles.
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Arrighetti enters play with a 4-1 record and a sensational 1.88 ERA on the season. The Rangers’ offense will have its work cut out for it if they want to continue its success from the back end of the homestand.
Despite Arrighetti being in the AL West, no Rangers hitter has faced him more than three times, so the matchup will be much of an unfamiliar one.
The Rangers hope they can put an end to Arrighetti’s hot start and get the 2026 Silver Boot Series off on the right foot with a win.
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