Despite eight baserunners on the walks, a hit batter, a pair of singles and a costly error by third baseman Ezequiel Duran, Rocker was charged with only one earned run. Had Duran fielded the two-out grounder in third, he might have allowed just one run, period.

The former Vanderbilt star may be the Rangers’ next ace after taking a circuitous path to the majors and making an electric MLB debut.

Former Vanderbilt pitcher Kumar Rocker was electric in his MLB debut for the Texas Rangers. Here's a recap of his special night:

ARLINGTON — Here’s the deal: Statcast classifies Kumar Rocker’s nasty breaking pitch as a slider. He calls it a curveball and a “slider at times.” It was the most effective tool in his Texas Rangers debut last Thursday against the Seattle Mariners and secured five of his seven strikeouts.

Kumar Rocker’s debut in the majors finally arrived and it was a mixed bag for his highly anticipated first outing.

Yahoo Sports senior MLB analysts Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman look at the Texas hurler's early impact on the Rangers and why he's already showing signs of being a franchise cornerstone for years to come.

Texas Rangers heralded young pitcher Kumar Rocker struck out five in his Globe Life Field debut but struggled with his command over three innings.