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Langford, García, Heim find redemption in Texas Rangers’ wild comeback win over Red Sox

An extra-innings win to avoid a sweep in Boston was anchored by a group of Rangers that had something to prove.

BOSTON — Dane Dunning operated as the Texas Rangers’ bespectacled ombudsman. He offered up more interview opportunities than a trained public relations professional. He ensured that each individual hero received their deserved attention.

“It’s that guy,” Dunning said to a group of reporters inside the Fenway Park visiting clubhouse after the Rangers’ 9-7 extra innings win over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night as he pointed to rookie outfielder Wyatt Langford.

“And that guy over there,” said the right-handed starter who logged five solid innings in a pitching pinch as he motioned to catcher Jonah Heim, “and pretty much every position player is who you need to be talking to. They bailed us out of a lot of trouble.”

They did. Don’t worry, Dane, they’ll be recognized.

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Texas Rangers' Wyatt Langford watches the flight of his three-run home run in the ninth...
Texas Rangers' Wyatt Langford watches the flight of his three-run home run in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)(Charles Krupa / AP)

They might have just lifted the Rangers to their biggest and best win of a season that’s largely been classified as frustrating and faulty. They might have redeemed themselves in the process, too. Just consider how the club’s manager had to reconcile with the state of affairs just hours before Texas’ 10th-inning victory.

“Do we think it’s over?” Bruce Bochy asked rhetorically before Wednesday’s game. “No. We still think that somehow, some way, we start clicking and fight our way back in this.”

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Of course, that’s his contention. History just doesn’t favor these Rangers. Only five teams with a sub-.500 record through 121 games have qualified for the postseason in the Wild Card era (since 1995); four of those teams were only one game under .500 with 41 games left to play, and the other — the 2009 Minnesota Twins — were five games under .500. The Rangers, at 56-65, are nine games under that threshold and nine-and-a-half games back of the first-place Houston Astros in the American League West.

If last year’s World Series team won a championship through resiliency, this year’s group might need to glom onto the concept of redemption. Wednesday’s win — which came two days after a loss in extra innings, one just one day after the Rangers were put down in order through five innings and was anchored by a number of players that had something to prove — was a necessary start that included a number of arcs and crescendos.

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The rookie’s revenge: The Rangers — who tied the game at 4-4 in the top of the eighth inning by way of a Boston fielding error that allowed Langford to score — had one of their most reliable relief arms on the mound in the bottom half. Right-handed pitcher David Robertson allowed a one-out double to Masataka Yoshida and intentionally walked Rafael Devers to put two runners on for Danny Jansen.

Jansen rolled a single into shallow left field that sprung the Boston baserunners. Langford, who recorded a pair of outfield assists in Tuesday’s loss, tried for his third of the series. Instead, he airmailed his throw over Heim’s head and allowed pinch runner Connor Wong to score, moving Devers and Jansen into scoring position at third and second. A Romy Gonzalez double in the next at-bat scored both to give Boston a 7-4 lead.

That lead lasted half an inning. Langford, with Corey Seager (single) and Josh Smith (single) on base ahead of him in the top of the ninth inning, drilled a two-out, game-tying three-run home run off of a Josh Winckowski cutter over the Green Monster to send the contest into extra innings. He became the second Rangers rookie ever (alongside Ruben Sierra in 1986) to hit a game-tying, two-out home run in the ninth inning or later of a game.

“I mean, definitely, it was in the back of my mind,” Langford said of the opportunity that presented itself as his poor throw. “It was cool.”

The All-Star comeback: Heim has not yet been able to replicate his All-Star performance from one season ago. The 29-year-old’s on-base plus slugging percentage is down from .755 last year to .629 this year. He is no longer the etched-in-stone everyday catcher as the Rangers have started Carson Kelly — who was acquired two days before July’s trade deadline — at the position seven times to Heim’s six since July 31. He is cognizant of his own struggles.

But, when inserted into the game as a pinch hitter in the top of the eighth inning and at catcher in the bottom half, Heim was able to throw out the speedy Jarren Duran, who tried to take second on a ball in the dirt. It might have saved that nightmare three-run eighth inning from becoming a four-run frame.

Then he won the game in extra innings. Heim hit a first-pitch Zack Kelly cutter into the Red Sox’ bullpen for a go-ahead two-run home run that gave Texas a 9-7 lead in the top of the 10th inning. All-Star closer Kirby Yates pitched a scoreless bottom half for his 21st save of the year.

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“It’s obviously not been the year I’ve wanted to have,” Heim said. “Just to be able to put together a couple of good at bats in a row, it’s a really big confidence boost. It’s something to build off of.”

The All-Star comeback, El Bombi edition: Langford’s home run sent the Rangers into extra innings. Heim’s made sure that they left with something.

Adolis García outright ensured that the Rangers were in those positions.

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García snapped a season-long funk with his first multiple-home run game of the year. He hit his 19th home run of the season in the top of the sixth inning to tie the game at 2-2, then hit his 20th home run two innings later to pull the Rangers to within 4-3 of the Red Sox. He carded his second three-hit game of this road trip and has slashed .281/.349/.421 in his last 15 games after his batting average fell to a season-low .205 on July 22.

“To get a win, it’s huge,” García said through interpreter Raul Cardenas. “It’s something that I want to continue doing.”

Said Heim: “I think it’s a momentum builder. We’ve got a big series coming up at home [vs. the Minnesota Twins] to prove that we’re not out of it. We’ve got some games to make up, but there’s a lot of baseball to be played.”

Of course, that’s his contention.

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It’s easier to believe after a game like that.

Texas Rangers' Adolis García celebrates with pitcher Kirby Yates (39) after defeating the...
Texas Rangers' Adolis García celebrates with pitcher Kirby Yates (39) after defeating the Boston Red Sox 9-7 in 10 innings following a baseball game at Fenway Park, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)(Charles Krupa / AP)

Twitter: @McFarland_Shawn

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