Rangers Exemplify 'Grit' In 5-4 Victory Over Mariners

The Texas Rangers snapped their six-game skid with a hard-fought win over the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night.

Chris Halicke | Aug 11, 2021

The 2021 Texas Rangers are one of the most inexperienced teams in all of baseball. They knew going into the season that in order to put tallies in the win column, they were going to have to scratch and claw their way. With the departure of a slugger like Joey Gallo, a workhorse starter like Kyle Gibson and an experienced closer in Ian Kennedy, that mantra was going to be challenged even more.

On Tuesday night, the Rangers outlasted the Seattle Mariners in 10 innings, snapping their six-game skid with a 5-4 victory at T-Mobile Park. Manager Chris Woodward praised the team's "resiliency and grit" throughout the game, which was never more exemplified than in the bottom half of the ninth inning.

Nursing a 3-2 lead, Spencer Patton came into the game looking for his second save of the season. He walked the first two batters of the frame, then gave up a single. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Patton walked in the tying run.

With the jaws of defeat widening around them, Patton hit another gear, striking out J.P. Crawford and Mitch Haniger for two crucial outs. Woodward then turned to left-hander Brett Martin to face Kyle Seager, who got the notorious Ranger killer to fly out, ending the threat.

"I told the group after the game that was probably the grittiest [performance]," Woodward said of Patton. “He didn't give up. He didn't quit and honestly gave our team a chance to win a game even without his best stuff. And we ended up winning.”

The ninth inning was not the only time the Rangers showed grit. Trailing 2-1 in the fifth inning, DJ Peters lined one into the right field corner. Jonah Heim, who is not known for his legs, ran hard from first base. Third base coach Tony Beasley aggressively waved Heim to the plate, only for the throw to beat him. However, Seattle catcher Tom Murphy failed to hold onto the ball while applying the tag, allowing the tying run to score.

Some might say the Rangers got lucky, but Chris Woodward understands the position Beasley was in on that play.

“I was a third-base coach," Woodward said. "I'm never gonna fault him for being aggressive. Right there on DJ’s double, it ended up working out. Maybe if the guy hangs on to the ball, he's probably out. But I'm never gonna fault him for being aggressive. I've told him I want him to be aggressive."

The Rangers and Mariners remained deadlocked at 2-2 for the next three innings. And just like he has so many times this season, Adolis García came through in the clutch once again. He led off the top of the ninth with a 402-foot solo homer to left-center field, giving the Rangers a 3-2 lead.

After escaping the ninth inning, the Rangers looked like they were going to squander their opportunity to score. DJ Peters and Curtis Terry both popped out to lead off the frame, stranding their extra innings "ghost runner" at second base. However, Isiah Kiner-Falefa came through with an RBI single hit through the hole on the right side of the infield, driving in Jason Martin to take a 4-3 lead. Kiner-Falefa advanced to second base on the throw home, which proved to be crucial.

Yonny Hernandez followed with a single of his own, driving in Kiner-Falefa to give the Rangers a precious two-run lead. Brett Martin remained in the game for the bottom half of the 10th inning. While he immediately gave up an RBI single to Ty France, Martin got Abraham Toro to ground into a huge double play to quell the Mariners rally. Two batters later, Martin slammed the door by getting Jarred Kelenic to ground out to second base.

“I was just happy that, as a team, we stood together,” Kiner-Falefa said. “A lot hasn't been going our way, especially on the road. So it was nice to get that first win. Things have been tough, so anytime you get a win, especially on the road, it's a good feeling. I'm just happy that we stood together and we got the job done.”

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Published Aug 11, 2021

CHRIS HALICKE