Athletics 14, Rangers 7
ARLINGTON, Texas, Jul 12 — A hopeful night in Arlington turned into a long night in Arlington when the Texas Rangers lost in 12 innings to the Oakland Athletics by a final score of 14–7. Rangers shortstop Corey Seager hit his 21st home run of the season, and several of his teammates had big hits during the night, but they ultimately fell short to the Athletics on Tuesday evening. The finale in this three-game series is set for Wednesday evening at Globe Life Field. Oakland will be sending right-hander Paul Blackburn (6–4, 3.36 ERA) to the mound. The Rangers will give the ball to right-hander Jon Gray (5–4, 4.03 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM Central.
Rangers Score Early
Second baseman Marcus Semien got the Rangers on the board in the bottom of the first inning. He blasted his twelfth home run of the season to centerfield. With third baseman Josh Smith on base at the time, this put the Rangers ahead by a count of 2–0. Fast forward to the bottom of the fourth inning. The Rangers stretched their lead to 3–1 on an RBI double by Leody Taveras. This play drove in outfielder Adolis Garcia. The Rangers’ next runs came in the bottom of the ninth inning. Corey Seager hits his 21st home run of the season. That made it 5–4 in favor of the Athletics. Kole Calhoun tied it 5–5 with a single to right field that drove in Taveras.
In the bottom of the tenth inning, Marcus Semien tied the game at six runs apiece. He drove in Sam Huff with a double to left field. The Rangers scored their final run in the top of the 12th inning. Stephen Duggar scored on an RBI single by Josh Smith.
Athletics’ Offense
The Athletics scored their first run of the night in the top of the second inning. A sharp line drive single to right field by Tony Kemp drove in former Ranger Elvis Andrus. The score now stood at 2–1 in favor of the Rangers. In the top of the fifth inning, the Athletics added to their total with a force out to Ramon Laureano. This play allowed Kemp to score to bring Oakland to within one run of the Rangers at 3–2. Later in the inning, Sean Murphy reached on a fielder’s choice, fielded by Rangers pitcher Glenn Otto. Nick Allen and Laureano both scored on the ground ball. Otto was charged with a throwing error on the play.
The Athletics got an insurance run in the top of the eighth inning when Stephen Vogt grounded out to second base. This brought in Murphy to score to extend Oakland’s lead to 5–3. They didn’t score again until the top of the tenth inning. Sean Murphy singled on a line drive to right field. Vimael Machin was able to score on the base hit. The Athletics took a 7–6 in the top of the 12th inning. A sacrifice fly by Machin brought in Chad Pinder. They soon made it 8–6 on a single by Laureano that drove in Nick Allen. Laureano was then able to advance on a throwing error by Taveras. A double by Dermis Garcia (his first MLB hit) brought Laureano home. The Athletics scored five more runs in the 12th inning.
Oakland’s Final Runs
Elvis Andrus walked with the bases loaded, and drove in Murphy. Last, but not least, a grand slam by Pinder sealed the deal for the Athletics. It was the longest game, in terms of innings, in the history of Globe Life Field. The official time of the game was four hours, and three minutes. Dennis Santana took the loss for the Rangers. His record for 2022 now sits at 3–4, with an ERA of 3.57. Lefty Kirby Sneed got the winning decision for the Athletics. His record for 2022 is now 1–0 with an ERA of 6.63. Zach Jackson recorded the save for Oakland. It was his second save on the year.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players Mentioned:
Corey Seager, Paul Blackburn, Jon Gray, Marcus Semien, Josh Smith, Leody Taveras, Adolis Garcia, Kole Calhoun, Sam Huff, Tony Kemp, Elvis Andrus, Ramon Laureano, Sean Murphy, Glenn Otto, Nick Allen, Stephen Vogt, Vimael Machin, Chad Pinder, Dermis Garcia, Dennis Santana, Zach Jackson
