ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Texas Rangers just keep walking it off this season.
While they really have no chance to defend their World Series title, they are keeping things exciting by winning in their last at-bat.
Rookie outfielder Wyatt Langford hit a game-ending grand slam for a 7-4 win over the New York Yankees on Tuesday night, for their third consecutive win that came in walk-off fashion. The last two have come against All-Star closers.
“It’s really cool to be a part of,” said Langford, the first Rangers rookie ever with a walk-off slam. “It’s hard to explain, really. But, I mean we have put together really good at-bats at the end of games, off really good pitchers, closers. Yeah, I wish we could do it a little earlier, making it a little less stressful, but it’s definitely really cool.”
Texas won twice in final at-bats against Oakland right before losing the series opener against New York. Leody Taveras had an RBI single in the ninth inning for a 3-2 victory on Saturday night against the Athletics, then Josh Jung hit a three-run homer on a 101.7 mph fastball from All-Star closer Mason Miller in the 10th inning Sunday to win 6-4.
After Langford’s blast against Yankees closer Clay Holmes, the Rangers (66-73) have walked off six of their seven home wins since Aug. 5.
“We’re scratching our heads too,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. “You know, we’d love to get it going earlier. Trust me, it’d be a lot easier on all of us. But I’ll keep saying, hey, that’s why you play nine (innings) and keep fighting.”
The Rangers are third in the AL West, 9 1/2 games behind division-leading Houston with 23 games to play. They are 8 1/2 games back for the third American League wild card, with five teams between them for that final playoff spot.
Their nine walk-off wins are tied for the most in the majors, and seven have come since the All-Star break.
Carson Kelly, a trade deadline acquisition, had a one-out single in the ninth Tuesday night against the Yankees, and Josh Smith and Marcus Semien followed with walks as Holmes threw just 12 of 25 pitches for strikes. Langford pulled a full-count slider 407 feet to left for his 10th homer this season.
“It just shows that we have a lot of fight going into each game, and no matter how many we’re down or if the game’s tied, every guy’s in it,” Kelly said. “It’s been a lot of fun over the last couple of weeks.”
Langford has three walk-off hits this season, the first Rangers player since Josh Hamilton in 2011 to do that. His two-out RBI single in the ninth inning Aug. 21 was the difference in a 1-0 win over Pittsburgh that ended their previous homestand.
“I saw a guy that was very poised. He’d been there and he’s come through a few times like that,” Bochy said after the latest walk-off that was his 2,159th managerial win and put him alone in eighth on the career list.
“We had the right guy up there,” he said. “Wyatt, he just has a knack for getting a hit when we need it. In his young career, he’s gotten some big ones already and this is part of his growth. You can tell he likes to be up there in that situation.”
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