Max Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, dominated in his season debut by retiring 15 out of 16 batters over five scoreless innings. Rookie Wyatt Langford extended his RBI streak to five games as the Texas Rangers secured a 4-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday, completing a sweep in their three-game series.

“It was just great to be back out there competing,” said Scherzer, who last pitched for Texas in Game 3 of last fall’s World Series.

José Ureña secured his first save by pitching the final four innings, extending the Rangers’ scoreless innings streak to a season-high 22 innings, their longest since September 2016. Combined, Ureña and Scherzer threw 99 pitches, marking the team’s seventh shutout of the season and the second consecutive shutout.

Josh Smith contributed with a home run for the Rangers (37-40), who matched their season-high winning streak by securing their fourth consecutive victory. This sweep marked their first three-game sweep of the season and was a significant accomplishment against the reigning World Series champions.

Despite a tough 2-7 road trip, the Royals (42-37) maintained a strong overall record, with 20 more wins than at the same point last season. They were shut out for the fourth time this season, including twice in Texas to end the series.

Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro missed the series finale due to personal matters, with bench coach Paul Hoover managing the game in his absence.

Texas took the lead for good on Langford’s RBI double in the fourth inning against Alec Marsh (5-5). Langford, who hit a grand slam in Saturday’s 6-0 victory, has now tallied 10 RBIs in the last five games. Later in the fourth, Leody Taveras broke a slump with a bloop two-run single, and Smith added a solo home run in the seventh inning.

Scherzer (1-0) was dominant on the mound, striking out four batters while allowing only one hit and issuing no walks. The veteran right-hander threw 39 of his 57 pitches for strikes, demonstrating superb command in his first start since leaving the World Series game last October due to back tightness. He exited Sunday’s game after five innings following a discussion with manager Bruce Bochy and pitching coach Mike Maddux in the dugout.