{"id":661785,"date":"2026-04-04T00:03:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T00:03:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/661785\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T00:03:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T00:03:15","slug":"tyler-stephensons-late-homer-leads-reds-past-rangers-in-series-opener","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/661785\/","title":{"rendered":"Tyler Stephenson’s late homer leads Reds past Rangers in series opener"},"content":{"rendered":"

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"AA cubist interpretation of the dramatic late-inning heroics that led the Cincinnati Reds to victory over the Texas Rangers.Cincinnati Today<\/p>\n

In a back-and-forth game, Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson hit a go-ahead 2-run homer in the top of the 9th inning to give the Reds a 5-3 victory over the Texas Rangers in the series opener. Spencer Steer also hit a 2-run homer earlier in the game for the Reds.<\/p>\n

Why it matters<\/p>\n

The Reds were looking to bounce back after a slow start to the season, and this win over the Rangers helps them move back into the win column. Stephenson’s late heroics provided the difference in a close game between the two teams.<\/p>\n

The details<\/p>\n

The Reds opened the scoring in the top of the 2nd inning when Spencer Steer hit a 2-run homer off Rangers starter MacKenzie Gore. The Rangers tied it up with a run in the 5th and 6th innings to make it 3-3. In the top of the 9th, Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson came through with a go-ahead 2-run homer off Rangers reliever Chris Martin to give Cincinnati the 5-3 lead. Reds closer Emilio Pagan then shut the door in the bottom of the 9th to secure the victory.<\/p>\n

The game was played on Friday, April 3, 2026.Stephenson’s go-ahead homer came in the top of the 9th inning.<\/p>\n

The players<\/p>\n

Tyler Stephenson<\/p>\n

The Reds’ starting catcher, who hit the game-winning 2-run homer in the 9th inning.<\/p>\n

Spencer Steer<\/p>\n

The Reds’ infielder, who hit a 2-run homer in the 2nd inning to open the scoring for Cincinnati.<\/p>\n

MacKenzie Gore<\/p>\n

The Rangers’ starting pitcher, who gave up the 2-run homer to Steer in the 2nd inning.<\/p>\n

Chris Martin<\/p>\n

The Rangers’ relief pitcher, who gave up the go-ahead 2-run homer to Stephenson in the 9th inning.<\/p>\n

Emilio Pagan<\/p>\n

The Reds’ closer, who pitched a perfect 9th inning to secure the victory.<\/p>\n

Got photos? Submit your photos here. \u203a<\/a>
\n What they\u2019re saying<\/p>\n

\u201cTyler Stephenson’s late homer leads Reds past Rangers in series opener\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Wick Terrell, Author<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next<\/p>\n

The Reds and Rangers will continue their series on Saturday, with Rhett Lowder taking the mound for Cincinnati against Kumar Rocker of the Rangers. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM ET.<\/p>\n

The takeaway<\/p>\n

This win provides a much-needed boost for the Reds, who were looking to get back on track after a slow start to the season. Stephenson’s late heroics were the difference, and the Reds will look to build on this momentum as they continue their series against the Rangers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a A cubist interpretation of the dramatic late-inning heroics that led…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":661786,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2400],"tags":[5,535,50,4259,4,536],"class_list":{"0":"post-661785","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cincinnati-reds","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-cincinnati","10":"tag-cincinnati-reds","11":"tag-cincinnatireds","12":"tag-mlb","13":"tag-reds"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116343512579754709","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/661785","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=661785"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/661785\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/661786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=661785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=661785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=661785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}