ARLINGTON, Texas — The last time the Cubs played here, on the opening weekend of the 2024 season, the Rangers were still celebrating their first World Series title from the previous October.
Meanwhile, a 23-year-old right-hander from Long Island was making his major-league debut on the mound, an occasion that was big news only in the hamlet of East Setauket, New York, hometown of Cubs pitcher Ben Brown.
A nonstop party for the Rangers, a night to forget for Brown, who was cuffed around for six runs and five hits and walked two in a nightmarish eighth inning.
A lot has happened since then on both sides of the ledger. The Rangers have descended into also-ran status in the American League West. Brown won a spot in the Cubs’ rotation last season, crashed and burned, was sent down to the minors, returned to the Cubs as a reliever, added a changeup and sinker this spring and has been Craig Counsell’s most reliable option out of the bullpen.
And Friday night at Globe Life Field, Counsell asked Brown to go back to the future. With starter Matt Boyd having surgery on his left knee and expected to miss at least six weeks, Counsell nominated Brown to start in Boyd’s place.
It could not have gone better for Brown. With no one exactly sure how much he would be able to last as a starter after functioning primarily as a two-inning option this season, Brown breezed through four innings in which he did not allow a run or a hit, walked one and struck out three and dismissed the Rangers in a conga line of harmless ground-ball outs.
“Ben obviously had a season last year where he got a big opportunity, he had some struggles, got sent to the minor leagues,’’ Counsell said. “I think all of that combined, they put him in a good mindset to, like, I’ve gotta get better at some things and improve some things. That’s really where this landed.’’
Carson Kelly was behind the plate for Brown, who was staked to a 1-0 lead in the first inning on Michael C
