ARLINGTON, Texas — Jurickson Profar realized he could be an All-Star for the primary time in his profession on Wednesday whereas getting ready to play contained in the newish ballpark throughout the road from the one he known as residence the primary seven years of his main league profession.
He was signed by the Rangers out of Curacao, got here up with the Rangers and debuted for the Rangers when he was 19 years outdated.
And he felt like he didn’t ever reveal who he was with the Rangers.
“I by no means actually obtained an opportunity to essentially play right here,” he mentioned Wednesday night time. “I obtained injured. I missed two years of baseball. I got here again, and I didn’t play a lot. I had a very good season in 2018. However I obtained traded. I didn’t actually have an opportunity to indicate all of the followers right here that have been at all times rooting for me.”
On Thursday, he gave them a glimpse of what he has change into.
“Yeah,” he mentioned with fun. “I did.”
Profar singled and scored a run, homered and threw out a runner at residence to get the Padres on their strategy to a 3-1 victory over the Rangers.
It was a one-game encapsulation of the season thus far, a reminder that the Padres wouldn’t be successful with out him.
They headed residence after a 4-2 street journey, again to a season-high 5 video games over .500, at 48-43, having received 11 of their previous 14 video games.
“I don’t anticipate much less from this workforce,” Profar mentioned. “That is how we should always play. We work arduous to be right here. It wasn’t at all times easy to start with of the season. However now we’re right here, and I don’t anticipate something much less from this workforce.”
Profar, who was signed for $1 million with the thought he would play properly sufficient and supply vitality and management, ranks second within the Nationwide League with a .317 common and leads the NL with a .409 on-base share. He arguably can not get sufficient credit score for his position within the Padres’ success.
However Thursday was not totally about him, although he did rating the Padres’ first run after a single within the fourth inning, protect that lead along with his throw within the backside of the fourth and put them up 2-0 with a homer within the sixth.
Jurickson Profar – San Diego Padres (12)
pic.twitter.com/WJoj2OPvYG— MLB HR Movies (@MLBHRVideos) July 4, 2024
Donovan Solano drove in Profar with a double and scored the ultimate run of the sport after one other double.
“One participant can not win ballgames,” Profar mentioned. “When we now have guys like Donovan Solano, they make it simpler to win video games.”
Throughout, the Padres and Rangers turned in a high quality show of America’s pastime on the nation’s birthday.
“Nicely performed, all phases,” Padres supervisor Mike Shildt mentioned.
Max Scherzer, whose 215 wins are second amongst lively pitchers and who has extra strikeouts than all however 10 pitchers to ever play, and Michael King, a pitcher in his first yr as a full-time starter, dueled for a time.
The Padres handed Scherzer (1-2, 2.70) a loss for the fourth time in his previous seven begins in opposition to them. It was the fifth time in these seven begins his workforce (the Nationals and Dodgers earlier than the Rangers) has misplaced.
“That’s the type of competitor I believe all of us need to attempt to be,” King mentioned of Scherzer.
It was King (7-5, 3.51) who obtained the win Thursday whereas additionally setting a brand new profession excessive in innings (105).
He departed after Corey Seager doubled and Nathaniel Lowe walked with one down within the sixth inning and the Padres up 2-0.
Jeremiah Estrada relieved King and obtained an out earlier than surrendering a single to Wyatt Langford that drove in Seager.
Estrada labored a scoreless seventh and Adrián Mórejon a scoreless eighth earlier than Robert Suarez shut down the Rangers within the ninth for his second save in two video games and twenty second of the season.
The Padres added a run within the seventh when Solano led off the inning by ripping his second double off Scherzer and moved to second on Scherzer’s second wild pitch of the sport.
“If it’s a (good) day for him, no one can contact him,” Solano mentioned. “You see it in all his numbers. However at present was a type of days the place he (made) little errors, and we took benefit.”
Solano was caught at second after a groundout by David Peralta that additionally ended Scherzer’s day, however Ha-Seong Kim battled again from 0-2 to tear a full-count slider from reliever José Ureña to middle subject for a sacrifice fly that made it 3-1.
The Padres would have scored at the least a pair extra runs if Rangers left fielder Wyatt Langford had not leaped to catch a fly ball by Kim on the high of the wall that appeared it might be a two-run homer (and would have at the least been an RBI double) within the second inning after which thrown out Solano making an attempt to attain on a single by David Peralta within the fourth.
The child has all of the instruments. #StraightUpTX pic.twitter.com/GyHxP0WNa4
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) July 4, 2024
The Rangers would have tied the sport 1-1 if Profar had not thrown out a runner making an attempt to attain within the backside of the fourth.
Stated Shildt: “He’s accomplished a pleasant job on each side of the ball for us.”
And now Texas is aware of about it.
Our All-Star outfielder says no 😤 pic.twitter.com/se4tcAVQJT
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) July 4, 2024