ARLINGTON – So far as opening day celebrations go, it’s unattainable to high the unfurling the ol’ championship banner from the rafters. Particularly if it’s the primary one you’ve ever unfurled.
Nonetheless, the Rangers tried to do it Thursday.
Got here fairly shut, too.
A bottom-of-the-ninth game-tying pinch hit residence run from a slap hitter. Excessive drama for the rookie phenom making his debut. And in the end, a redemptive walk-off single for a catcher who had been perplexed by a seemingly missed important name. The ultimate: Rangers 4, Chicago 3 in 10 innings.
Jonah Heim’s single with two outs within the tenth scored Manfred Man designated runner Marcus Semien. It had adopted an extended seven-pitch battle during which Wyatt Langford grounded right into a power out at residence. And it had all been made attainable by Travis Jankowski, with 10 residence runs in his main league profession, homering on his first swing of the season as a ninth-inning pinch hitter.
Jankowski’s homer got here after the Cubs had taken a 3-2 lead within the high of the inning on what seemed to be a missed name by residence plate umpire Chad Fairchild. On a swing by pinch hitter Miles Mastrobuoni, Fairchild dominated there had been no contact. However replays appeared to point out the ball change instructions, then hit the dust and scoot by Heim. He initially thought the ball was lifeless and was late to react, permitting Michael Busch to attain all the way in which from second base.
It appeared to be a deflating sort of second. It’s laborious to deflate the defending world champions.
Listed here are 5 VERY IMPORTANT observations from the Rangers win:
Highest high quality: Nathan Eovaldi did what Jacob deGrom couldn’t do in final season’s opener. He gave the Rangers a high quality begin. That includes a fastball that ranged as much as 97 mph and mixing his cutter and splitter about 20% of the time, Eovaldi stored the Cubs largely off steadiness, going six innings and permitting a pair of runs on 4 hits.
You may say he was in midseason kind. Nevertheless it may be higher to say he was in postseason kind. Because the begin of the 2023 postseason, Eovaldi is 5-0 with a 2.95 ERA.
Greatest bounce: The Rangers received a break on what appeared like a tie-breaking double by Cubs No. 8 hitter Nick Madrigal within the seventh inning. The ball into the right-field nook hit the warning monitor and bounced over the wall, for an computerized double. However as a result of it was an computerized double, it meant baserunner Michael Busch might solely advance two bases and needed to maintain up at third.
Josh Sborz responded by placing out Yan Gomes to finish the inning, strand the runner and preserve the sport tied at two.
Most becoming stat: Wyatt Langford had 20 RBIs in spring coaching. He was a run-producing machine. So, maybe it’s becoming that he recorded his first official RBI even earlier than his first hit. After taking a referred to as third strike in his first at-bat, Langford got here to the plate with a runner on third and one out. Did what any rookie ought to: Discovered a pitch to drive and lifted it to the outfield. Made for a straightforward sac fly.
Langford didn’t have to attend too lengthy for the primary hit both. He picked it up within the subsequent at-bat, beating out a grounder to deep brief. His pace is an asset.
Greatest stretch: With the Rangers dealing with a lefty, at the very least till Justin Steele popped a hamstring within the fifth, Ezequiel Duran received the decision at first base. It was his first main league begin on the place. Didn’t look unhealthy both. He made a pleasant stretch to select the relay and full an inning-ending double play within the fifth. The Rangers additionally turned a double play to finish the second inning.
However a reminder: He’s nonetheless new to the place and a bit brief by first-base requirements. Duran froze for a second on Cody Bellinger’s two-out liner within the sixth. Consequently, he couldn’t snag the ball and it landed alongside the road for a run-scoring double.
Greatest hype video: They’ve a hype video. Who knew? Guess that’s one of many perks of lastly profitable a World Collection. The pre-game banner-unfurling ceremony began with an honest-to-goodness spotlight video of huge moments on the way in which to the World Collection. Fairly a distinction from the previous, when a lot of the Rangers’ most buzz-inducing moments both included anyone throwing a punch or wanted play-by-play accompaniment. It was easy. Properly carried out.
The entire ceremony, from the video, to Bruce Bochy thanking the followers by way of handheld microphone, to the unfurling of the banner, was just about excellent.
Photographs: Texas Rangers’ World Collection celebration results in wild opening day walk-off winner
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