San Francisco Giants at Texas Rangers

Cody Bradford stepped on a Major League mound for the first time in 679 days on Wednesday afternoon, and he looked like his old self. Bradford showed little rust, tossing 4 1/3 scoreless innings in the Rangers’ 6-0 victory over the Giants at Globe Life Field. It was an impressive performance for Bradford, who last pitched in the big leagues on Sept. 25, 2024. Bradford has been battling to get back in the time since, notably undergoing left elbow “internal brace” surgery on June 25, 2025. He’s endured a few setbacks along the way, but the journey back paid off on Wednesday. “Six-hundred-seventy-nine days since I last pitched, back when there was a team in Oakland,” Bradford said, smiling. “My goal today was just to get through 70 pitches and see how far I could get in the game and try and just soak in the moment of being back.” Bradford scattered five hits with two walks and five strikeouts over a 70-pitch outing, and the North Texas native received a nice ovation from the home crowd when he exited in the fifth. It’s a moment that Bradford wondered would ever come, let alone in the midst of a playoff race. “Any long rehab stint is going to be filled with ups and downs,” said Bradford, who posted a 0.90 ERA in his most recent rehab assignment that spanned four starts between Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock. “It’s really easy to just live with those ups and downs,” he continued. “You come in, your elbow feels great one day, you throw a good bullpen, you’re riding that high for the next couple of days. Well, the next bullpen, your elbow acts up a little bit, it’s a little bit tighter or you’re not throwing the ball where you want. You’re kind of just questioning yourself, ‘Am I good enough to get back there?’ Today answered a lot of questions that I had about myself.” Bradford opened by striking out Giants leadoff man Bryce Eldridge on an 81.1 mph changeup. He closed the first inning by striking out Osleivis Basabe on an 81.6 mph changeup. Bradford had two more strikeouts in a scoreless second. In the third, Bradford benefitted from a sliding catch by center fielder Evan Carter for the second out on a liner by Jung Hoo Lee. Bradford then struck out Willy Adames on an 89.5 mph fastball to end the 1-2-3 frame.