Texas Rangers Offense Comes To Life Late After Kumar Rocker's Dazzling Debut

The Texas Rangers rallied from a three-run deficit to score a run in the seventh and three in the eighth to beat the Seattle Mariners 5-4 Thursday at T-Mobile Park.

Sep 12, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Texas Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe (30) and third baseman Josh Jung (6) celebrate after Lowe hit a home run against the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Kumar Rocker was the star attraction early, and the Texas Rangers offense took center stage late.

The Rangers rallied from a three-run deficit to score four runs in the seventh and eighth innings to beat the Seattle Mariners 5-4 Thursday at T-Mobile Park.

After Josh Jung's solo homer in the second, the Mariners scored a run in the fourth and three in the fifth to take a 4-1 lead. It stayed that way until Nathaniel Lowe's solo homer in the seventh pulled Texas to within 4-2. In the eighth, the Rangers scored three to take a 5-4 lead. With one out, Marcus Semien's solo homer made it 4-3. Josh Smith reached on a fielding error by first baseman Luke Raley before Wyatt Langford doubled to center to give the Rangers runners on the corners with one out. Smith scored on Adolis Garcia's groundout to short, and Langford scored on Lowe's infield single to second to give Texas a one-run lead.

Rangers top prospect Kumar Rocker made his MLB debut and struck out seven and allowed one run (on a solo homer to Justin Turner) in four innings. For a detailed account of Rocker's debut, check out our full recap.

You up? pic.twitter.com/eSvVTNbuGy

— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) September 13, 2024

Three thoughts from Thursday's game:

1. Kirby Yates, 30 Saves

Aug 23, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Texas Rangers relief pitcher Kirby Yates (39) throws a pitch during the ninth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Rangers closer Kirby Yates earned his 30th save with a scoreless ninth. His 30 saves are the second most in the American League behind the Cleveland Guardians Emmanuel Clase's 44, and the sixth-most in the Majors. Yates led the Majors with 41 saves for the Padres in 2019, but because of injuries and missed time, had only seven saves between 2020 and 2023.

2. Multi-Homer Games

Sep 12, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung (6) runs the bases after hitting a home run against the Seattle Mariners during the second inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Josh Jung, Nathaniel Lowe, and Marcus Semien each homered in Thursday's win. It's the 12th time the Rangers have hit three or more home runs in a game in 2024. A year ago, they had 30 such games.

3. Up Next

Apr 11, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (48) throws during the fourth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Jacob deGrom makes his 2024 debut Friday in Game 2 against a yet to be named Mariners starter. The two-time Cy Young winner had Tommy John surgery on June 6, 2023, after making six starts in his first season with Texas.