They were so close to doing what they hadn’t done before. 

So close to coming back to win. The Rangers hadn’t won a game this year by coming back from more than two runs, and then, only once. You cannot be a good team if you fold up your tent when you’re down. But they showed some life and came back from being down 5-1 to tie it.

They rallied. They moved runners over. They manufactured runs. They played small ball, unfortunately now when they really needed to.

They had so many opportunities to do win this game. And almost every one of those ended with a Josh Jung at-bat. Jung had a bad night. 

In the sixth, down 5-1 and seemingly dead because they have always been dead at when down after five, the Rangers rallied for three runs. Marcus Semien drove in a run with a double. Adolis Garcia actually shorted his swing with two strikes and poked a ball up the middle for two RBIs to make it 5-4. Evan Carter singled to put two on with one out.

Then the rally died when Josh Jung sung at the first pitch he saw and grounded into a double play.

The Rangers tied it in the seventh, completing an impossible come back. Now all they had to do is keep the Mariners from scoring while they punched home the winning run.

Their defense tried. They kept making amazing play after amazing play, turning difficult double plays. Josh Smith making first base seem like he’d played it his whole life with one acrobatic stop after another. Evan Carter in center. It was one of the best defensive team games you’ll see. 

All they needed was a run. They had a runner at second with one out in the ninth. Then two strikeouts ended it.

After Seattle scored in the top of the tenth and the Rangers matched it in the bottom of the tenth, the Rangers had two on and two out. 

Josh Jung swung at the first pitch he saw to end the threat. 

Then, when Seattle scored in the top of the twelfth inning on a play at the plate in which the Ranges were so close to tagging the runner out, they decided against playing small ball to tie it. Semien didn’t bunt Seager to third. Instead, he hits a fielders choice. Then, with two outs, Carter walks. And it’s up to Josh Jung again. 

He strikes out.

The Rangers could have had a very good Friday night. A very good opening game an important series against division rival Seattle. A very good Game 1 of the second half of the season. A very good victory in a game they had in the past folded their tents and gone home.

They were so close. 

*****