Rangers 4, Yankees 2
ARLINGTON, Texas, Oct 5 — The Texas Rangers won their season finale against the New York Yankees on Wednesday at Globe Life Field by a final score of 4–2. A home run by Charlie Culberson in the third inning helped lead the Rangers to a very satisfying win over the Yankees to bring the 2022 season to a respectable close. The Rangers finish the season with a record of 68–94. That is an eight game improvement from the 2021 season when they finished with a record of 60–102. They didn’t have the season that everyone hoped for, but the Rangers have every reason to feel good.
Yankees Threaten Early
The Yankees got off to an early start on Wednesday afternoon. They jumped out to a 1–0 lead in the top of the second inning. A single to right field by Kyle Higashioka drove in Oswald Peraza. It was at this point when the crowd of 28,056 people (mostly consisting of Yankees fans) really got loud. Meanwhile, true to their pattern in the final weeks of the 2022 season, the Rangers retaliated one inning later. In the bottom of the third inning, Charlie Culberson stepped to the plate. He then proceeded to send the next pitch over the wall in left field. It was his second, and final, home run of the season.
The Yankees regained the lead in the top of the fourth inning. Former Rangers catcher Jose Trevino hit his 11th home run of the year to make the score 2–1 in favor of the Yankees. Both Yankee and Rangers fans cheered loudly at this point, as both fan bases have a soft spot for Trevino. He’s done great things for both franchises in his young career. Meanwhile, the man who took over for Trevino behind the plate for the Rangers, Jonah Heim tied it back up moments later.
Rangers Finish Strong
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Heim sent a pitch over the wall in right-center field. It was his 16th home run of the year. In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Rangers took the lead, and kept it for the rest of the game. Leody Taveras scored on a double to to left field by Bubba Thompson. The Rangers also scored their final run of the season in the fifth inning. Marcus Semien brought Thompson home on a single to right field. It wasn’t the most dramatic way to end the season, but it got the job done. It was a very respectable conclusion to the season for the Texas Rangers.
Pitching Notes
Glenn Otto made the final start for the Rangers on Wednesday. Otto earned the win and turned in his eighth quality start (six IP, 2 R-ER) in his final outing of the season. He went 7–10 with a 4.64 ERA (70 ER/135 2/3 IP) over 27 starts in 2022. This marks the most starts by a Texas rookie since Yu Darvish in 2012 (29), and the most innings by a Rangers rookie since Nick Martinez in 2014 (140.1).
His seven wins this season are the most by a Ranger rookie starter (min. 20 starts) since Darvish in 2012 (16). Otto went 3–3, with a 3.68 (26 ER/63 2/3 IP) over his last 12 starts dating back to the beginning of August. He posted a .218 opp. BA over that season-closing span. His eight quality starts were tied for third-most among Texas rotation members this season (23-Martin Pérez, 10-Dane Dunning, 8-Jon Gray/Otto), and the most by a Texas rookie since Nick Martinez in 2014 (also eight).
Additional Notes
The Rangers finished with a below .500 record for a sixth straight season. It is the most consecutive sub-.500 finishes since the franchise moved to Texas in 1972. They improved to 22–29 all-time in regular season finales on Wednesday, winning three of their last four, and two of first three at Globe Life Field. The Rangers went 34–47 (.420) in Arlington this season, which is tied for fourth-lowest home win pct. in club history, and lowest since 2018 (.420, 34-47). They recorded an overall run differential of -36 (707–743) after being outscored 625–815 (-190) in 2021. It is the highest run diff. since 2017 (-17, 799–816).
Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe went 1-for-1 with a single and a walk on Wednesday before he was lifted for a pinch-runner (Mark Mathias) in the third inning. Lowe finishes the season with a career-best .302 (179-593) batting average. He is the first Texas qualifier to bat .300+ since Elvis Andrus (.302) and Adrián Beltré (.300) both did it in 2016.
Since 2014, the only other Ranger to bat .300 and hit 25+ home runs in the same season was Beltré in 2016. Lowe is just the fifth first baseman (min. 75% of games at 1B) in club history to post a qualifying season with a BA of .300-or-higher. Lowe joins Will Clark (3x, last 1998), Rafael Palmeiro (2x, last 1991), Mark Teixeira in 2005. His team-high .850 OPS figure is the best mark by a qualified Texas batter since Danny Santana in 2019 (.857). It’s also the highest by a Rangers first baseman since Teixeira in 2006 (.886).
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players Mentioned:
Charlie Culberson, Kyle Higashioka, Oswald Peraza, Jose Trevino, Jonah Heim, Leody Taveras, Bubba Thompson, Marcus Semien, Glenn Otto, Yu Darvish, Nick Martinez, Dane Dunning, Jon Gray, Nathaniel Lowe, Mark Mathias, Elvis Andrus, Will Clark, Rafael Palmeiro, Mark Teixeira, Danny Santana
