Athletics at Texas Rangers

“Awesome.” That’s the word A’s starter Luis Severino used to describe seeing his teammates find their power stroke in a historic way Friday, belting three homers in the top of the first inning for the first time in franchise history en route to an 8-1 victory over the Rangers at Globe Life Field. “It was awesome to go out there with a 3-0 lead. Confidence goes through the roof,” said Severino, who went on to deliver his best start of the season, allowing one run over 6 2/3 innings. Nick Kurtz started the barrage against Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi, sending a first-pitch fastball a Statcast-projected 417 feet into the right-field seats. Kurtz’s exit velocity was 115.9 mph, tied for the A’s hardest-hit homer since Statcast tracking began in 2015. “You usually get a heater \[first pitch\