Sep. 04, 2024 06:04 AM EST

Texas Rangers Keep Walking It Off This Season With Langford's Grand Slam Their Latest Game-Ender

By STEPHEN HAWKINS
AP Baseball Writer
Texas Rangers' Leody Taveras, center, celebrates his game-winning single with Adolis García, right, and other teammates, ending the ninth inning to win a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero) LM Otero, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Texas Rangers' Leody Taveras, center, celebrates his game-winning single with Adolis García, right, and other teammates, ending the ninth inning to win a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
El dominicano de los Rangers de Texas, Leody Taveras (3) es abrazado por su compañero de equipo, el cubano Adolis García luego de conectar un sencillo con bases llenas para remolcar a Ezequiel Durán en el noveno episodio y ganar el juego de béisbol ante los Atléticos de Oakland, el sábado 31 de agosto, de 2024, en Arlington, Texas. (AP Foto/LM Otero)
Texas Rangers' Josh Jung, left, hits a three-run home run in front of Oakland Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers, right, during the 10th inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Wyatt Langford (36), de los Rangers de Texas, celebra con sus compañeros de equipo en el plato después de conectar un grand slam ante el lanzador relevista de los Yankees de Nueva York, Clay Holmes, durante la novena entrada de un juego de béisbol el martes 3 de septiembre de 2024, en Arlington, Texas. Leody Taveras, Josh Smith y Marcus Semien anotaron en la jugada. (AP Foto/Jeffrey McWhorter)
Texas Rangers' Wyatt Langford (36) is doused with water by assistant hitting coach Seth Conner after hitting a walk-off grand slam off New York Yankees relief pitcher Clay Holmes during the ninth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. Leody Taveras, Josh Smith and Marcus Semien scored on the play. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter)
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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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