Maybe, just maybe, there is a pulse yet ticking in these Rangers.

Down 3-2 in the ninth, after the most unlikely of events—Kirby Yates being human and allowing a run in the top of the ninth—Texas did what it has not been able to do all year. 

They came back. 

This team had won one game all season when trailing after six innings. And hadn’t won a game at all when trailing in the ninth.

But the luck of the schedule has the Rangers playing the worst team in baseball, one that is on the verge of being the worst in baseball history, one that came into the game losing seven in a row, one that has scored the fewest runs in baseball (no, it’s not the Rangers, it only seems that way).

For eight and a half innings, the Rangers looked just as inept as the White Sox.

Then Wyatt Langford infused some real energy into the lineup and the crowd.

He doubled with one out. Adolis Garcia came up and continued being 2024 Adolis, grounding weakly to short. Two outs.

So, Langford decided to take matters into his own feet. Realizing the White Sox third baseman was nowhere near third, so he third it easily. 

Their third baseman continued playing closer to Plano than to third, so Langford took a huge leadoff. He was so far off third he was directly in the pitcher’s line of sight. He faked stealing home (which in the past is about the only way the Rangers would have scored here). Lowe drew a walk as Langford continued rattling the pitcher. Then with a 3-2 count, Jonah Heim smashed a single to center, scoring Langford and setting this impossible dream in motion. 

With the ghost runner bunted over to third to start the bottom of the tenth, and now two outs, the White Sox chose to walk both Seager and Smith. That brought Wyatt Langford up with two outs.

He knocked a line drive off the left field wall, and the Rangers won.

It was a wholly enjoyable game for the fans. It was the single-most important game for the Rangers, because they really need to sweep the White Sox in this four-game series if they are serious about being in contention before the trade deadline.

*****  
TODAY’S GAME: