One More! Texas Rangers Take Game 1 in Wild Card Against Rays

The Texas Rangers can advance to the ALDS with a Game 2 win at 2:08 p.m. Wednesday at Tropicana Field.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Texas Rangers are one win away from advancing to the ALDS.

The Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-0 in Game 1 of a best-of-3 Wild Card Series at Tropicana Field Tuesday afternoon.

Game 2 is set for 2:08 p.m. Wednesday. The Rangers advance to play the AL East champion Baltimore Orioles in the ALDS with a win. A loss forces a do-or-die Game 3 at 2:08 p.m. Thursday at Tropicana Field.

The Rangers scored a run in the second, one in the fifth, and two more in the sixth to take a 4-0 lead. Evan Carter and Marcus Semien started the sixth with walks and Corey Seager's single on a misplayed liner to the center field, and ensuing throwing error by Jose Siri to third base, allowed Carter and Semien to score.

Carter, who was called up Sept. 8 for his major league debut, was on base four times with two doubles, two walks, and a run scored. Seager was on base three times with two singles, a walk, a run, and an RBI.

Hello world, meet Evan Carter. #GoAndTakeIt pic.twitter.com/sWXUnpmcwz

— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) October 3, 2023

Rangers starter Jordan Montgomery was outstanding through seven innings. He held the Rays to six hits. He stranded runners at third in the second and third innings. His diving catch on a botched bunt attempt in the second inning was the second out. He struck out Rene Pinto to end the inning. He struck out five and walked none.

Rays starter Tyler Glasnow was charged with four runs (three earned) on six hits and five walks in five innings. He struck out eight but the Rangers let him off the hook for more runs, stranding nine runners over the first five innings.

The Rays made three errors in the first three innings but the Rangers only managed one run.

Jonah Heim led off the fourth with a single and was held at third on Carter's double to center field with two outs. Semien popped out to short to end the inning.

Texas added another run in the fifth to take a 2-0 lead but the Rays escaped two bases-loaded scenarios without giving up a big hit.

Seager led off with a double and Robbie Grossman walked before Adolis Garcia singled on a shot off Glasnow's leg to load the bases with no outs. Nathaniel Lowe popped out to first before a wild pitch allowed Seager to score during Heim's at-bat. Heim walked to load the bases again but Leody Taveras and Josh Jung struck out to end the inning.

Corey creating chaos. #GoAndTakeIt pic.twitter.com/HPmWO3Rkmd

— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) October 3, 2023

Rangers 4, Rays 0

Here are the big takeaways from Game 1 at Tropicana Field

Error Fest vs. Outstanding Defense

The Tampa Bay Rays were a good defensive team in the regular season, tied for ninth with a .987 fielding percentage and ninth in the majors with 75 errors. But their defense was a mess in Tuesday's Game 1.

They were officially charged with four errors, but several additional balls were misplayed. Their starting pitcher also had a run-scoring wild pitch.

In contrast, the Rangers, who were tied with the Diamondbacks with the best fielding percentage in the majors at .990, and had the second-fewest errors with 57, played tremendous defense on Tuesday. Although Evan Carter was charged with a fielding error on a seventh-inning single-turned-double, he  and his teammates made great plays all over the field.

Carter made an outstanding running, diving catch towards his right for the final out with a man on in the first. Pitcher Jordan Montgomery made a diving catch on a botched bunt for the second out in the second inning. Josh Jung made an excellent snare on a line drive to his left for the first out in the seventh.

At Home At the Trop

The Rangers are now 6-0 in the postseason at Tropicana Field. The Rangers won Games 3 and 4 at Tampa in the 2011 ALDS and won Games 1, 2, and 5 of the 2010 ALDS at Tampa. 

Evan Carter, Texas Ranger

Rookie Evan Carter is the youngest batter (21 years, 35 days) in MLB history to reach safely four or more times in his postseason debut. He's the first batter to reach safely four or more times in his postseason debut since 2020 when the Cardinals' Dylan Carlson and the Guardians' Josh Naylor both did it.

Carter is the first Rangers player to reach safely four or more times in a postseason debut and just the 11th in franchise history overall to do it. The last Texas player to do it was Mike Napoli, who reached base five times in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series. Carter is the first Rangers player with multiple extra-base hits and walks in a postseason game.

The only player as young as Carter to reach safely in his first three postseason plate appearances was Arizona's Justin Upton, at age 20.040, in 2007, according to Stathead.

Up Next

Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (12-5, 3.63) faces Rays right-hander Zach Eflin (16-8, 3.50) in Game 2 at 2:08 p.m. Wednesday at Tropicana Field.

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You can follow Stefan Stevenson on Twitter @StefanVersusTex.

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