Josh Jung might have sent that ball flying 420 feet with his go-ahead home run, but it was the walk-off groundout that sealed the deal, barely crawling a mere three feet. Baseball’s funny like that sometimes – you get your wins however you can. And for Jung, the Rangers, and the fans at Globe Life Field, this victory was sweet relief. “You get them any way you can take them, I guess,” Jung chuckled after the game.
And it couldn’t have come at a better time.
The Texas Rangers had been in a slump, dropping three straight games to the Minnesota Twins. A four-game sweep loomed over them, threatening to add to the woes of an already challenging month. But on this Sunday, with a 6-5 walk-off win, they managed to snatch back a little bit of hope, even if their position in the American League West standings didn’t see much of a change. They’re still trailing the Houston Astros by 11 games, but hey, a win is a win. And this one felt necessary.
“It was something they needed, the guys,” said Rangers manager Bruce Bochy, reflecting on the recent tough losses. “Good for those guys.”
The drama unfolded in the 10th inning. Adolis García was the ghost runner on second base, and with the game on the line, Jung stepped up to the plate. He connected with a Jhoan Duran splitter, sending a routine grounder to third base. But luck was on the Rangers' side. Twins third baseman Jose Miranda fielded the ball cleanly but launched a wild throw to first base. García, quick as ever, dashed home from second, sealing the Rangers' fifth walk-off victory of the season. It wasn’t the prettiest play, but it was exactly what Texas needed.
But let's rewind a bit, because Jung wasn’t done playing hero just yet. In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Rangers were down 4-0, staring at what could have been another frustrating loss. Enter Josh Jung, who decided enough was enough. With the Rangers rallying in that inning, Jung capped a five-run explosion with a go-ahead home run that electrified the crowd and gave Texas a 5-4 lead. Jung drilled a 106.3 mph fastball from Jorge Alcara into center field, marking his second home run since returning from the injured list on July 29. It was also his first extra-base hit since August 5, and boy, did it come at a crucial moment.
“I needed that so bad,” Jung admitted, relief evident in his voice. “I feel like I’ve just been grinding there, just hitting a lot of singles ... it was big, it lifted my spirits for sure.”
Jung’s home run was the exclamation point on a remarkable inning for the Rangers. Leody Taveras had kicked things off with a single into center field, and Marcus Semien followed that up with a double that brought Taveras home for Texas’ first run of the game. Corey Seager then doubled, driving in Semien, and just like that, the Rangers were back in the game. But the real fireworks came when Adolis García stepped to the plate and launched a two-run bomb into left field, tying the game at 4-4. Just two at-bats later, Jung’s blast gave the Rangers the lead.
It was a thrilling turnaround, but it wasn’t just the score that was impressive – it was how they did it. Texas has struggled all season with high-velocity pitches, sporting a dismal .201 batting average against pitches clocking in at 95 mph or faster. That was the third-worst mark in the American League. But in the seventh inning, they flipped the script. Taveras, Semien, García, and Jung all connected on pitches over 95 mph, with Jung smashing a 99.3 mph fastball into the seats. It was as if the Rangers decided, in that moment, to rewrite their narrative.
“We got the long ball,” Bochy said, still buzzing from the win. “Really, in that game, I said, ‘If somebody can just come through and drive in a run, this thing can get going here.’ ... Marcus kind of got us going, and that got contagious.”
It wasn’t just the offense that had its moment, though. The Rangers’ pitching staff had to grind it out as well. Starter Tyler Mahle, in just his third start since returning from a year-long Tommy John surgery rehab, struggled to find his rhythm. He gave up four runs on six hits in just three innings, leaving the bullpen with a heavy load. Right-hander Gerson Garabito answered the call, coming in and absolutely shutting down the Twins over four no-hit innings. It was a standout performance for Garabito, who is making his mark in his first major league season with a 2.65 ERA.
“In my mind, I’m just trying to throw a strike and get some innings,” Garabito said, downplaying his role. “The bullpen, we need it. The starter just going three innings, you have to throw a couple more innings, that way you can have the bullpen.”
With Garabito holding the line, the Rangers turned to their All-Star closer Kirby Yates to seal the win. Yates had been perfect in save situations this season, converting 21 out of 21 opportunities. But even the best can have an off day. In the ninth inning, with Texas clinging to a 5-4 lead, Carlos Santana stepped up for the Twins and blasted a game-tying solo home run. It was a gut punch, and suddenly, all the momentum the Rangers had built seemed to evaporate.
But instead of folding, the Rangers dug in. The game went into extra innings, setting the stage for Jung’s final heroics. It wasn’t the towering home run that ended it, but a grounder that found its way into the win column thanks to a little bit of luck and a whole lot of hustle. It was a game that encapsulated the highs and lows of baseball, where every hit, every pitch, and every throw can be the difference between agony and ecstasy.
As the Rangers walked off the field, victorious at last, there was a sense that maybe, just maybe, this was the spark they needed. The road ahead in the AL West is still a steep climb, with the Astros well out in front, but for one day, the Rangers were reminded of the thrill of victory and the power of perseverance.
In baseball, as in life, sometimes it’s the little things – a wild throw, a grounder, a single extra base – that make all the difference. And on this Sunday afternoon, those little things added up to something big for the Texas Rangers.
Login