The night is Jung.


Ranger rounding 3rd: Josh Jung is congratulated by Rangers 3B coach Corey Ragsdale after blaming a three-run homer in the 8th.

Slowly but surely, Rangers fans are seeing the promise of Josh Jung. 

He burst into Rangers’ lore by hitting a home run, at home, in his first major league at-bat. Yes, he strikes out more than you’d want. Even more than he’d want. And, yes, he had a pesky hitless streak of twenty at-bats.

But that’s why he is up here these last handfull of games. He didn’t have anything to prove staying in the minor leagues. And, To see if he can figure it out in the major leagues.

Last night, he figured it out.

The Rangers scored five runs in a very rare win in Seattle, which has been a house of horrors for Texas (the Rangers are 3-20 in Seattle the past three seasons).

Five runs. Every one of them drive in by Jung.

He had a solo homer in the second. He singled in Marcus Semien in the sixth. Then, in the eighth, with the game still undecided at 2-0, and after an intentional walk to get to him, he smashed a three-run homer to center.

Seattle has Julio Rodriguez, the front runner for Rookie of the Year, a 21-year-old phenom who is tearing it up offensively in his first American League season. 

Josh Jung might not be at Rodriguez’s level. But he is making up for it as fast as he can.

*****