The Rangers are closing in on a berth in the ALDS.
Texas outfielder Adolis Garcia hit a home run in the top of the fourth inning to break a scoreless tie in Game 2 of the team's AL Wild Card series against the Tampa Bay Rays. Later in the inning, with the Rangers up 2-0, Evan Carter launched a two-run blast to extend the lead to 4-0.
Bombi goes boom. #GoAndTakeIt pic.twitter.com/2RxWWel2o0
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) October 4, 2023
Evan Carter. Learn the name. #GoAndTakeIt pic.twitter.com/FC5pEBLpc1
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) October 4, 2023
"Just good at-bats," manager Bruce Bochy said when discussing in-game what went right for the Rangers in those two plate appearances.
Per Rangers PR, Carter, 21, was the 11th-youngest player at the time of his first playoff home run in baseball history and third-youngest U.S.-born player.
Evan Carter (2-R HR in 4th) hit his 1st career postseason HR at age 21 years, 36 days. He is the 11th-youngest player in MLB history at time of his 1st postseason HR, the 3rd-youngest U.S.-born player on the list to Bryce Harper (19-362) and Mickey Mantle (20-352). @Stathead pic.twitter.com/VEH1A5MJeG
— Texas Rangers PR (@TXRangersPR) October 4, 2023
Texas won a sloppy Game 1 in the ALWC 4-0 after the Rays made four errors.
If this is the end for Tampa Bay, it's a highly disappointing way for the campaign to wrap. The Rays won their first 13 games this season, outscoring their opponents 101-30, but picked the wrong time to play their worst.
With Tampa on the brink of elimination, the only drama as of this posting is whether the Rays can get a run across home plate. After six scoreless innings in Game 2 of the ALWC, Tampa Bay extended its postseason streak of innings without a run to 33.
The Rays last scored a run in the sixth inning of its 2022 ALWC series against the Cleveland Guardians. They were shut out in Cleveland's 15-inning close-out Game 2 win.
With a victory on Wednesday, Texas will move on to the best-of-five ALDS where the AL's No. 1 seed, the Baltimore Orioles, awaits.
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