When Texas Rangers starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore took the mound at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday, he wanted to show the Rangers that he's worthy of their trust.

Consider that mission accomplished for Gore. The Rangers, behind a stellar outing from Gore, managed to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 8-3, taking two out of three games in the City of Brotherly Love.

En route to his first win with Texas, Gore shut down Phillies hitters, keeping them without a hit until the sixth inning.

Meanwhile, Brandon Nimmo and Andrew McCutchen hit their first home runs as Rangers. It was a victory that the Rangers really did need, helping them get off to a good start in the 2026 MLB season.

Seeing his team post a couple of road wins early made Rangers manager Skip Schumaker feel pretty good, too. Watching Gore's outing from the Rangers dugout gave Schumaker a front-row seat to what the franchise's new acquisition could deliver this season.

"“We needed him to get at least into the sixth inning with the way our bullpen was set up, and three or four guys down,” Schumaker said, according to Rangers beat reporter Kennedi Landry of MLB.com.

“We knew we were in trouble if he got [knocked] out of the game early or something happened," Schumaker said. "He was not only on the attack, but he got us into the sixth inning. It was exactly what we wanted."

The Phillies broke through to the hit column in the sixth inning. Philadelphia center fielder Justin Crawford rolled a swinging bunt between the third-base line and the pitcher's mound, allowing him to reach first base safely.

Gore ultimately found himself loading the bases full of Phillies. But Gore and reliever Cole Winn kept Philadelphia from having a breakout inning, only giving up one run on a sacrifice fly.

"I understand that if you make mistakes, they can do damage," Gore said in the Rangers' clubhouse after the game. "We stayed out of the heart of the plate for the most part, executed enough. We were able to get ahead, we had a good mix and we were really aggressive. If you do that against any team, you can have success."

Gore is quite familiar with the Phillies as he played them often when he was a member of the Washington Nationals' pitching staff.

After Sunday's victory, the Rangers hit the road. They start a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Monday night. First pitch in Baltimore will be at 6:35 p.m. ET (5:35 p.m. CT).

Don't miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news!

It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.

Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!