Bradford’s return a win despite box score

Rick Mauch

On Wednesday, Aug. 5, Cody Bradford pitched in a Major League game for the first time in almost two years following elbow surgery. And though the box score of the Rangers’ 6-0 victory at home against the San Francisco Giants didn’t credit the former Aledo Bearcat with the victory, make no mistake, he was the big winner of the night.

Bradford pitched four and a third innings. He gave up five hits, no runs, walked two, and struck out five. Out of his 70 pitches, 50 were strikes.

He wasn’t given the victory because, per Major League rules, a starting pitcher must throw five innings to qualify. Otherwise, the win is given to the relief pitcher deemed most effective.

That makes as much sense as hubcaps on a tractor.

Bradford gave the Rangers control from the outset, leaving with a 4-0 lead. All due respect to the relievers, who did an excellent job in maintaining the shutout, but none were more effective than Bradford, whose performance set the tone for the evening.

He was limited to 70 pitches, understandably. But what he did with those 70 pitches was worthy of being given the victory.

But be that as it may, getting the win was probably the last thing on Bradford’s mind that evening. He wanted to prove to himself and all watching — most notably the powers that be with the Rangers — that he was once again ready to pitch successfully at the game’s highest level.

Not only did Bradford return, he came back in grand style, in a way that made a statement of “I’m back and I mean business.” He looked as if he was simply picking up where he left off in 2024, when he was forced onto the disabled list because of his elbow after starting the season with a 6-3 record, 3.54 ERA, and 70 strikeouts in 14 games.

Granted, surrendering an average of one hit per inning isn’t exactly a Nolan Ryan-type performance. However, everything else he did on Aug. 5 was certainly something about which to get excited — especially as the Rangers chase their first playoff berth since winning the 2023 World Series.

If you’ll recall, Bradford was a key piece of that pitching staff, especially excelling in the postseason. In the Rangers’ run to their first world championship, he made five appearances out of the bullpen, posting a 1-0 record with a 1.17 ERA and five strikeouts in five innings.

Bradford’s performance was strong enough that Rangers manager Skip Schumaker has officially made him part of the five-man rotation. His next scheduled start was in California against the Angels earlier this week at press time and it was anticipated his pitch count would increase.

In a bit of a surprise, the Rangers are not only battling for a postseason berth, but are also in the fight for the American League West Division championship. Sure, the division is weaker than me with a driver on a par-five golf hole, but someone has to win it, so why not the Rangers?

A solid performance by Bradford down the stretch of the rest of the regular season could help make that happen. When he’s healthy, he’s proven himself to be a very good pitcher.

If his first outing back in two seasons is an indication, he’s indeed healthy. That bodes well for the Rangers, not only for what is left of 2026, but at only 28 years old for hopefully years to come.