Oakland’s third baseman Matt Chapman was playing back which allowed the Rangers runner at third Danny Santana to take a much longer than usual lead which allowed the Rangers hitter Delino DeShields to execute a perfect sacrifice squeeze which allowed the winning run to score.

Two triples.

A steal of home.

A sacrifice squeeze. To score the go-ahead run. With two outs.

A comeback from five down.

A lot of things we might not see all season we saw in one wonderful, thrilling, unlikely, amazing game.

If only they played every game in Arlington. The Rangers, down 7-2 after four innings, came roaring back for the third time in eight home games. They were down 6-3 in Game 2 of the season and won 8-6. They were down 5-0 in Game 3 of the season and came back to win 11-10.

But yesterday’s was even more unlikely. Not because of the size of the deficit they overcame but the way they did it.

It started with Elvis Andrus, as most things this season will. He took over for Adrian Beltre as Team Leader/Franchise Face/Miracle Worker/Shoulder Carrier/At-Bat to Watch.

All he did was triple in a run in the first. Then steal home right after that. Draw a walk. Hit a home run. Then a single. He’s batting .414, second-best in the league, with an OPS of 1.088.

You might go a week without seeing a triple. The Rangers got two in one game. Danny Santana made a grand entrance with the biggest hit of the day, and the way his career has been going lately, the biggest he’s had in years. His triple into the right center Bermuda Triangle drove in two runs to tie the game.

Then, with two outs, possibly the most unlikely of thing. It surprised everybody in the Ballpark. Including the nine players in green on the field.

Delino DeShields, with two outs and a 1-and-1 count, noticed Oakland third baseman Matt Chapman was playing deep. Chapman, a gold glove fielder considered the best defensive third baseman in the American League, had, inexplicably, committed two errors already. DeShields decided to test him. He laid down a perfect bunt, Danny Santana read it perfectly, Oakland’s illiterate defense couldn’t read it, and all they could do was eat the ball and wonder how they just let the game slip away.

It was a huge win for the Rangers for a lot of reasons. It got them back to .500, which just feels good. It kept them from going 1-6 in their last seven games (2-5 isn’t October material but it’s better than 1-6), it saved another bad Rangers pitching performance, and it provided Rangers Nation with one of the most downright enjoyable games ever.

One Sunday before Easter the Rangers may have resurrected fun in Texas baseball.

*****
TODAY’S GAME:

Trevor Cahill (1-1, 3.50) vs. Shelby Miller (0-1, 9.53)
Game time: 7:05