Josh Jung Slams Texas Rangers to Series Victory Over Yankees

The Texas Rangers held a home run derby and Martin Perez was solid Sunday in a series-clinching win over the New York Yankees.

Kade Kistner | Apr 30, 2023

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ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers crushed the New York Yankees 15-2 on Sunday afternoon en route to a series win as the offense exploded and showcased its power.

The Rangers (17-11) have won three straight after entering Friday night on a season-high four-game losing streak. Texas is enjoying its best start to a season since having the same mark in 2013.

The American League West leaders took an early lead when third baseman Josh Jung hit his first career grand slam. An opposite field shot to right in the first by the rookie made it 4-0.

That home run snapped a 0-for-7 stretch that included four strikeouts over the last three games. He came into the game leading American League rookies in slugging percentage (.458), extra-base hits (9) and total bases (44).

The Rangers also saw three other players hit home runs. Nathaniel Lowe, Adolis Garcia and Jonah Heim all went deep in a four-run fifth inning. Heim also recorded two doubles and three RBI.

Lost in the offensive slugfest – third-highest scoring game this season for Texas – was the performance of starting pitcher Martín Pérez, who improved to 4-1.

The southpaw threw six innings while allowing just one earned run and striking out two. He needed just 70 pitches to get it done before being pulled with a 13-run lead after the sixth.

Designated hitter Robbie Grossman drew two walks and recorded an RBI-single in the sixth that extended his hitting streak to 11 games. That is currently the longest active streak in the Majors.

Texas won the series 3-1 before sold-out Globe Life Field crowd of 39,078. It was the third sellout of the season for the Rangers.

Up next are the Arizona Diamondbacks who visit Globe Life Field for a two-game series that begins Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. CT. Jon Gray (1-1, 3.91) will take the mound for Texas, while the Diamondbacks have yet to announce a starter.

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Published Apr 30, 2023

KADE KISTNER

Kade Kistner is the publisher and beat writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies, Cubs and Astros. He is also an editor for Inside the Rangers. An alumnus of Tulane University, Kade graduated in 2017 with a degree in Latin American Studies and a minor in Spanish. Upon graduation, Kade commissioned into the United States Navy and attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Fl. He served as a Naval Aviator and was stationed in Jacksonville, Fl. During his time in school and the Navy, Kade began covering the MLB and NFL with USA Today, SB Nation, and Sports Illustrated. Kade covered the New Orleans Saints, Texas Rangers, and numerous other teams within the Sports Illustrated network before launching Inside the Phillies, Inside the Astros, and Inside the Cubs. You can follow him on Twitter at @KadeKistner, or if you have any questions or comments he can be reached via email at kwkistner@gmail.com.