ARLINGTON – You know the old saying about the Rangers' chances of getting great pitching at home? It will be a cold day in ...

Well, it was 55 degrees at game time Friday, which was a record low temperature for the home opener. And if you've ever spoken to a Rangers pitcher, you know unflattering descriptions have been the norm for the home stadium, regardless of the nickname, article or corporate sponsor attached to it.

For the record, the stadium is currently called Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, and it was officially rechristened Friday with 51,548 fans screaming, a couple of B-1 bombers roaring overhead and a wholly new style of baseball.

The 2-0 win Friday was all about pitching and defense. It was appropriate given that new manager Ron Washington had spent the last seven weeks discussing nothing but.

"We've preached pitching and we've preached defense," Washington said. "I like to play these kinds of games where not a lot of runs are scored, but I know that's not always going to happen. It's important for these guys to know that even when we have these kinds of days offensively, we can still win."

Thing is, the Rangers had never done this before in this park with as few hits. Only once had they won with less than five hits and that was in 1994, two weeks after the ribbon was cut off the place.

Friday's win had a ribbon-cutting feel, too. But rather than a park, the Rangers were trying to usher in a whole new era in their history.

Though the offense is still struggling to find its swing – the team is hitting a collective .149 – the aspects of a game Washington hopes will define his tenure as manager were there.

Keeping with the "never been before theme," starter Robinson Tejeda worked seven innings in just 77 pitches. The Rangers have had only one pitcher finish with at least seven innings and fewer than 80 pitches in the ballpark era: Kevin Millwood, last May 16. In New York.

Tejeda threw strikes and worked quickly, but not too quickly. When he's struggled in the past, he's rushed. With some help from catcher Gerald Laird, he paced himself well.

He threw fastballs for strikes the first time through the order, then introduced more change-ups and sliders for the second trip. Having the Red Sox off-balance, he was able to go back to the fastball for his final turn through the order. He recorded only a single strikeout, but got lots of pop-ups.

"He did exactly what I've preached on pounding the strike zone," Washington said. "He's got such a good arm, there is no reason for him to ever run away from bats."

Despite the lack of offense, the Rangers found it not so difficult to carve out a win. They scored a first-inning run thanks to a walk (Frank Catalanotto), some hustle to beat out a double-play ball (Michael Young) and a check-swing, bloop single (Sammy Sosa). They scored their other run on an error, a stolen base by Brad Wilkerson on what was supposed to be a hit-and-run and a nifty single by Laird.

The bullpen and the defense helped out in the late innings. Joaquin Benoit and temporary closer Akinori Otsuka combined for two scoreless innings.

In the ninth, Ian Kinsler bobbled a ball that could have ended the game but still got one out and smartly held on to the ball rather than try to throw to first to complete a double-play attempt.

"I knew that play required a seamless transition, and I didn't get one," Kinsler said. "But with [Otsuka] on the mound, you have all the faith in the world in the pitching."

On the next pitch, Coco Crisp grounded to Kinsler for the game's final out.

It made a cold day turn out just swell.

Friday's victory raised the Rangers' record in home openers to 18-18. Their record by opponents: