ARLINGTON — The Texas Rangers arrived home from a dismal West Coast trip littered with travel issues and wasted momentum early Monday morning in search of an end to a recent skid of poor play.
They instead found baseball absolution disguised in the form of two swings from two sluggers who might’ve needed them more than any.
And a beautiful, firework-inducing, Gatorade bath-worthy sight it was.
Designated hitter Joc Pederson and third baseman Josh Jung, two batters who’ve sought various forms of redemption for much of this season, found some late Monday night at Globe Life Field in an 8-5 series-opening win vs. the New York Yankees.
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Pederson pinch hit in the bottom of the ninth inning and hit a game-tying home run to send it to extra innings, when Jung drilled a walkoff three-run home run.
Related:Watch: Late heroics from Joc Pederson, Josh Jung lift Rangers over Yankees in extras
The two blasts capped what Rangers manager Bruce Bochy classified as one of the club’s most impressive this season. The Rangers trailed by three runs after 2½ innings vs. All-Star left-handed starter Max Fried but shook two worrisome habits to chase a southpaw and execute their largest come-from-behind win this season.
“Just a great ballgame,” Bochy said. “Gutty effort by everybody.”
The two late-game heroes especially. Pederson brought a .126 batting average into Monday’s game that ranked dead last among all hitters who’ve had at least 150 plate appearances this season. It was dragged down by a careerlong hitless drought and frozen in time by a two-month layoff forced by a broken hand. He recorded just two hits in the first seven games that he played since he returned from the injured list vs. the Atlanta Braves on July 27.
The 33-year-old, who had a somewhat expedited rehabilitation process once he was cleared to swing, took live batting practice before Monday’s game and worked with hitting coach Justin Viele in the cages. He hesitated to say that he’s “found” his swing despite Monday’s home run, because “this game will humble you quick,” but he acknowledged he’s taken what he believes to be the correct steps toward normalcy.
Monday’s moment resembled that. Pederson pinch hit for first baseman Ezequiel Duran with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning vs. All-Star closer Devin Williams. Pederson watched two balls and fouled a pitch off before he yanked the right-hander’s changeup 408 feet into the right-field seats to tie the game at 5-5.
“You’ve got to keep believing,” Bochy said. “They’re your guys and you know how good they are. He’s a big part of this offense. We need him to do his thing, that’s all, we don’t need him to carry us.”
Pederson chucked his bat to his right as the ball landed, turned to face the Rangers dugout and yelled as he circled the bases. It was his third home run this season, his first of a two-year deal with the Rangers, and his first since May 17.
Said Jung: “It was electric. He was electric.”
“It’s been a long road,” Pederson said, “but we’re not done, there’s a lot of games left. The beautiful thing about baseball is that it’s just one pitch at a time. As frustrated, and the nights of sleep lost in the past couple months, it’s irrelevant. I can’t change that now. All I can do is focus on the next one right in front of me.”
Jung, who said that “baseball’s just hard and it can beat you down when you’re down” in reference to Pederson, can relate. The 27-year-old spent a chunk of time at Triple-A Round Rock this season to refine his swing decision and approach after he posted a .429 OPS in June. It was the first time in his professional career that his own performance, rather than an injury, held him back.
He’d missed the last four games before Monday with a sore calf, which stalled a nine-game hit streak since he returned from the minors on July 21, but started at designated hitter to give the Rangers some capable ammunition vs. lefty Fried.
He did that, and scored a run as part of a four-run second inning that gave Texas a 4-3 lead vs. Fried, but saved his best for last. In the bottom of the 10th inning, with ghost runner Corey Seager at second base, Yankees right-hander Jake Bird intentionally walked center fielder Wyatt Langford to force Jung to the plate with two outs.
“You take it personal,” Jung said. “It’s a tip of the cap to the guy in front of you, but, it’s also like a — well, I can’t really say it — to you.”
Jung returned the sentiment when he crushed Bird’s sinker into the left-field seats for a 401-foot walkoff shot. He said he felt like he was “floating around the bases” when he rounded third to meet his teammates for possibly their most rambunctious walkoff celebration yet this season.
“That’s going to define our ballclub I think,” said right-handed pitcher Jon Gray, who pitched five innings of two-run ball out of the bullpen to keep the Rangers within striking distance. “The whole season is so long. It’s a big battle. Just because one part of it isn’t the way you want it doesn’t mean you should give up. Those guys have a ton of fight in them and they’re going to contribute to this. Better now than never.”
Now was pretty sweet.
It could become even sweeter.
“Baseball’s a lot more than one moment,” Pederson said. “Hopefully I can have some more.”
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