The name game

The Texas Rangers roll out a lineup eight years ago today that includes the first game in major league history in which two players with hyphenated names are the pitcher and catcher. ‍

Cramming their names into the boxscore during a 3-2 victory at Kansas City are Rangers catcher Isiah Kiner-Falefa and pitcher Austin Bibens-Dirkx.

Bibens-Dirkx allows just one run in six and two-third innings for his first victory of the 2018 season.

Kiner-Falefa, normally an infielder, makes his first-ever start in the majors behind the plate.

He ends up doing a nice job back there, too, with only two errors in 498 chances during his 73 career games as a catcher.

Today, Bibens-Dirkx is the pitching coach for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Class AA Eastern League affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, while Kiner-Falefa is a bench player for the Boston Red Sox in what so far has been a nine-year career in the majors.

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