MacKenzie Gore remained in Wednesday night's game after being paid a visit from the Texas Rangers training staff in the second inning.
From the very jump, things seemed off for Texas Rangers starter MacKenzie Gore against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night.
Gore began the night by walking Red Sox leadoff hitter Roman Anthony on four pitches and, just a few batters later, surrendered a two-run home run to Willson Contreras, all while struggling to find his normal velocity.
In the second, Gore fired a pitch and immediately grabbed his side/back area, prompting a visit from Rangers manager Skip Schumaker, pitching coach Jordan Tiegs, and head athletic trainer Matt Lucero.
After a somewhat lengthy conversation, Gore threw a practice pitch and remained in the game. Following that frame, Robby Ahlstrom began to throw in the Texas bullpen, suggesting that Gore’s night may have been over, but he would manage to go on to throw two more innings.
Following the game, it was revealed that Gore was dealing with muscle spasms in his mid-back and shoulder, the same kind that caused him to leave a start against the Colorado Rockies earlier this season.
“He had muscle spasms going on kinda in his back and shoulder area, not the actual shoulder but underneath the shoulder,” Schumaker said.
“A little bit similar to what he had in Colorado a couple of months ago when we pulled him. It calmed down after the second inning; he didn’t feel anything in the third inning, but it kinda came back a little bit in the fourth…” Schumaker explained.
Despite the injury affecting his ability to command the ball, Gore knew he was going to remain in the game and give the Rangers everything he had.
“I think early it was just trying to figure out how to get it to calm down enough,” Gore said after the game.
“I thought I was going to give us everything I had, with hopefully good enough quality, while being honest with everything to make sure it was good enough to give us a chance, was important…. It’s frustrating for that to happen early, but to be honest, there really wasn’t a whole lot I could do about it,” Gore said.
Schumaker and the Rangers are hoping that the injury won’t be a major injury for Gore moving forward.
“I’m hoping that we got it in time,” Schumaker said. “The way it calmed down in the second and third innings, in Colorado it didn’t calm down; this time it calmed down, and there was nothing, that’s a good sign, so hopefully he feels good tomorrow when he wakes up, and we don’t have to worry about it.”
As for Gore, he’s confident that he will be able to make his next start whenever the Rangers decide that may be.
“It doesn’t hurt or anything,” Gore said. “There was some soreness last time; there may be some soreness, but it doesn’t feel like anything is hurt.”
