Postgame Notes: Yankees Beat Rangers in First Game of Doubleheader
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TEXAS saw its losing streak extend to 7 games with a loss in Game 1 of today’s doubleheader…marks club’s 2nd-longest skid this season (0-9 from 8/27-9/5) and the longest active slide in MLB…have dropped 10 of 11 and 13 of last 16 G…have also lost 5 straight and 7 of last 9 G at home…have gone 1-4 vs. NYY this season, assured of losing the season series with 2 G to play.
JON GRAY posted a quality start in his final start of the 2022 season…exited in position to win, leading 4-3 after 6 innings…allowed solo home runs in the 1st (Cabrera) and 2nd (Peraza) before holding Yankees scoreless over final 4 frames…finished his 1st season as a Ranger with a 3.96 ERA, the 3rd-best figure of his career behind marks in 2017 (3.67) and 2019 (3.84)…went 6-4 with a 3.21 ERA (29 ER/81.1 IP) over final 15 starts (beg. 6/12).
ADOLIS GARCÍA reached 100 RBI on the season with a 2-run home run in the 5th inning, which gave Texas a 4-3 lead at the time…marks his 1st career 100 RBI season, the 1st for Texas since Nomar Mazara in 2017 (101), and 1st by a Texas RH batter since Adrián Beltré in 2016 (104)…García joins Alfonso Soriano (36 HR, 43 2B, 104 RBI, and 30 SB in 2005) as just the 2nd player in Rangers history with 25+ HR, 30+ 2B, 100+ RBI, and 25+ SB in a season…CLE's Jose Ramirez and TOR's Bo Bichette (both in 2021) are the only other MLB players to amass those totals in a single season since 2019.
JOSH JUNG opened the scoring with a 2-run single in the 1st inning…today (2 RBI) was his 3rd game with multiple RBI (5 on 9/27 at SEA, 2 on 9/18 at TB) and 1st such game at home...just 4 of his 1st 15 RBI have come at Globe Life Field.
NEW YORK-AL completed its 41st comeback win of the season after plating 2 runs in the 8th inning to take a late 5-4 lead…advance to 99-61 (.619) on the season with today’s victory, needing just one win in the last 2 G of this series to secure its first 100+ win campaign since 2019 (103-59)...has gone 2-0 over the first 2 contests of this 3-day, 4-game set to secure a victory in the season series vs. Texas (4-1)…has won or tied season series with the Rangers in each of the last 5 years in which the clubs have met (did not play in 2020), and has gone 10-2 against Texas since the start of 2021.
JAMESON TAILLON took no decision in his career high-tying 32nd start of the season….permitted 4 runs (all earned) on 7 hits and 2 walks over 6.0 innings…entered the bottom of the 5th with a 3-2 lead, but surrendered a 2-run home run to Adolis García in that frame and exited after the 6th trailing, 3-4…was removed from the decision when Kyle Higashioka connected for a game-tying solo HR in the 8th…Taillon finished the regular season with a 14-5 record and 3.91 ERA (77 ER/177.1 IP), tying his single-season career high for wins (also 14 in 2018 w/ PIT).
KYLE HIGASHIOKA tied the game at 4-4 in the 8th inning on a solo home run to straightaway center field that snuck just past the glove of Leody Taveras…marked his 30th RBI of the season, a new career high (prev. 29 in 2021), and career high-tying 10th HR (also 10 in 2021)…he has hits in 3 straight, and is batting .356/.375/.600/.975 (16-45) over his last 14 G (beg. 9/9).
OSWALD PERAZA connected for his 1st career Major League home run in the 2nd inning, a solo shot off Rangers’ starter Jon Gray…has hits in each of his last 5 G at .474 (9-19) after going 6-for-24 (.250) over his first 11 MLB games (made MLB debut on 9/2 at TB)…Peraza is the 2nd visiting player to hit his first career home run at Globe Life Field this season (also BOS’ Connor Wong on 9/2 at TEX off A.J. Alexy).
OSWALDO CABRERA plated the game’s first run on a solo home run to right field in the 1st inning…each of the switch-hitter’s first 6 career home runs have all come as a left-handed batter vs. right-handed pitching…today’s blast was his first in a start as an infielder (3B), as each of his first 5 home runs came in starts as an outfielder (3-LF, 2-RF)…Cabrera has reached base safely in 13 of his last 15 games and 28 of his last 34 starts dating back to 8/22.
MISCELLANEOUS: Aaron Judge has gone 2-for-9 with a pair of singles and a run scored over the first 2 G of this series…Harrison Bader hit a go-ahead RBI single in the 8th inning today, and has reached base safely in 10 of his 13 G with the Yankees.
