The intricacies of Gerson Garabito’s unconventional and unlikely journey to the Texas Rangers weren’t available on his Wikipedia page when the club sparked curiosity from social media on Saturday by adding the right-handed pitcher to the travel taxi squad.

It’s worth noting that, at that time, Garabito didn’t even have a Wikipedia page. This is the result of a six-year-long odyssey through the minor leagues, a two-year hiatus from affiliated baseball, and stints in various high- and low-profile Latin American winter leagues. Even Rangers manager Bruce Bochy couldn’t provide much background on Garabito beyond his pitching repertoire and minor league statistics.

“I don’t know what he was doing [in the last couple of years],” remarked Bochy on Sunday. “There have been some remarkable stories in this game, and I believe this is one of them. I really do.”

Garabito, aged 28, started and made his MLB debut in the Rangers’ 6-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on Sunday. He conceded one run on two hits, issued four walks, and recorded two strikeouts in 3 and 2/3 innings pitched before Bochy removed him at 84 pitches with runners on the corners in the fourth inning.

By the time he delivered his first pitch on Sunday, a Wikipedia page had been created for him. By the time he spoke to reporters after the game, it had been updated to reflect his major league debut.

“It was something I had been waiting for for a long time,” Garabito expressed. “Today it happened to me, and it was like, ‘I did it.'”

In his first three innings pitched, Garabito walked a batter in each but didn’t allow a hit until Carlos Correa singled to lead off the fourth inning and scored on a Max Kepler double. Garabito utilized six pitches—fastball, sinker, slider, curveball, changeup, and cutter—and received more run support than any Texas starter since May 8. Corey Seager contributed with two home runs and three RBIs, while Nathaniel Lowe ended his slump with a pair of run-scoring singles.

Garabito recorded his first MLB strikeout against Minnesota’s Willi Castro, who swung and missed at an 86.2 mph changeup for the first out of the first inning. Despite walking leadoff hitter Trevor Larnach on five pitches, Garabito induced a double play from two-time All-Star Carlos Correa to end the inning, using a curveball to get the ground ball.

“He seemed locked in all day, with a stone-faced demeanor,” remarked catcher Jonah Heim. “He didn’t appear nervous at all. He had a really good bullpen session before the game. I just tried to provide some calming energy behind the plate, not trying to overwhelm him. I thought he did exceptionally well. He handled his nerves like a true professional.”

Garabito’s performance on the mound helped the Rangers break a six-game losing streak and secure a win to conclude their multi-city road trip.

“I just thought, ‘Okay, we need to win this game, I’m going to throw strikes,'” Garabito reflected. “I just knew I had to do my job.”

The Kansas City Royals inked Garabito from the Dominican Republic in 2012, and he spent six seasons in the minor leagues with both the Royals and the San Francisco Giants until 2021. He didn’t participate in affiliated baseball during the past two seasons but pitched in the Venezuelan, Nicaraguan, and Dominican winter leagues from 2021 to 2023.

In December, Texas signed Garabito to a minor league contract while he was pitching in the Dominican Winter League. He posted a 2.05 ERA in seven games, including five starts, split between Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock this season before being added to the club’s taxi squad on Saturday. Right-handed reliever Shaun Anderson was designated for assignment on Sunday to accommodate Garabito on both the 40-man roster and active roster.

“I had a plan,” Garabito remarked regarding his signing with Texas. “but I didn’t expect to be here at this time.”

Before Sunday’s game, Bochy labeled Garabito as the Rangers’ best choice for a spot start. However, the situation was as worrisome as it was accurate. The Rangers currently have six starting pitchers—Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, Tyler Mahle, Nathan Eovaldi, Cody Bradford, and Jon Gray—on the injured list. José Ureña, who also signed a minor league contract this winter, is now firmly in the rotation until further notice. Andrew Heaney is the only Texas starter who hasn’t had a stint on the injured list this season. The team’s depth options have been depleted.

And then came Garabito.

Naturally.

“He remained composed,” praised Bochy. “It was impressive… I thought the kid did a pretty good job for his first outing. He didn’t seem intimidated by anything—even with the walks and the full counts—he kept battling out there.”