Andrew Heaney was one of four starting pitchers added by the Texas Rangers over the winter.
He was signed to a two-year deal, which included an opt-out clause at the end of the 2023 season.
On Monday night, the veteran left-hander had a dominant performance against the Kansas City Royals.
The Rangers blew out the Royals by a final of 11-2.
Heaney did not allow a run over five innings of work and struck out a career-high 10 batters.
On Tuesday, Heaney talked to MLB Network about his performance on Monday and discussed what was working for him in his start against the Royals.
Andrew Heaney was in a GROOVE last night, tying an AL record by striking out 9⃣ consecutive batters ♨️
The @Rangers lefty joined #MLBCentral to recap his outing and highlight an adjustment to his pitch arsenal that has helped elevate his game.@markdero7 | @AlLeiter22 | @RoFlo pic.twitter.com/mZjfOxBEwk
—MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) April 11, 2023
Heaney started off by saying that he didn’t realize what was at stake while he was pitching, but rather that he was locked in the whole time.
He had a rough first inning but escaped a jam with a few strikeouts.
Heaney also struck out the side in the second inning.
He says that after the second, his mind went blank and he became solely focused on pitching.
But by the end of the fifth inning, Heaney took note of the fact that he had struck out a lot of batters.
That was when he realized what he had accomplished.
He struck out nine consecutive batters at one point, tying an American League record.
Heaney also commented on what he had improved on.
His first start did not go according to plan, but he said that focusing on his command and his mechanics helped him get right and rebound against the Royals.
NEXT:
Andrew Heaney Made MLB History With A Dominant Streak