ARLINGTON, Texas — Wyatt Langford hit a game-ending grand slam off All-Star closer Clay Holmes to give the Texas Rangers a 7-4 victory over the New York Yankees on Tuesday night, dropping them out of the American League East lead.
Langford hit the first walk-off slam by a Rangers rookie, sending Holmes (2-5) to his major league-high 11th blown save in 40 chances. Texas overcame a 4-1, eighth-inning deficit.
“I think everyone likes those moments,” said Langford, the first Rangers player with three walk-off hits in a season since Josh Hamilton in 2011. “I think you like them even more if you’re able to come through. So, it’s really cool to be able to come through.”
According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Langford, a bright spot in a tough season for Texas, is just the second player in major league history to hit for a cycle, pull off an inside-the-park home run, and blast a walk-off grand slam in the same season. Jackie Robinson did the same in 1948.
Carson Kelly had a one-out single in the ninth, and Josh Smith and Marcus Semien followed with walks as Holmes threw only 12 of 25 pitches for strikes.
“There’s been times I thought I’ve gotten beat honestly,” Holmes said. “Tonight was one of those I didn’t throw very well, and wasn’t very good at all and didn’t deserve to come out on top there the way I was throwing.”
Langford pulled a full-count slider 407 feet to left field for his 10th homer this season.
“He’s been coming up in those big spots and coming through for us,” Kelly said. “Definitely awesome to see.”
New York (80-59) fell half a game behind Baltimore (81-59) for the division lead and the best record in the American League. The Yankees have lost five of their last seven games.
When Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked if he needed to consider changing closers, he said he wasn’t going to answer that “when we’re raw and emotional” just moments after the game.
“Stuff’s there, I feel like he’s throwing the ball well. Tonight was a struggle, obviously,” Boone said. “Getting the lead guy there and then not putting away the righty there to start the rally, and then lost the zone a little bit and not being able to finish off some 3-2 counts. … He’s really important to us down there. We need his excellence to be part of the group down there. So, you know, this is a tough one.”
It was the third straight win at home for the Rangers in walk-off fashion, and their MLB high-tying ninth overall. They won in their final at-bats Saturday and Sunday against Oakland before losing the series opener against New York.
Rookie left-hander Walter Pennington (1-0), the sixth Texas pitcher, earned his first big league victory after getting one out — a flyout to right by MLB home run leader Aaron Judge.
Carlos Rodon had a season-high 11 strikeouts while pitching one-hit ball over six innings. The only hit the New York left-hander gave up was Josh Jung‘s homer leading off the fourth.
New York went ahead after Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Anthony Volpe opened the seventh with consecutive singles. José Leclerc (5-5) balked to push them both up a base, then Jose Trevino had an RBI groundout and Alex Verdugo lined a single over a drawn-in infield for a 2-1 lead.
Volpe added a two-run single with the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth, and the speedy Chisolm probably would have also scored from first had he not stopped despite being waved around by third base coach Luis Rojas. Chisolm, who had his fourth consecutive multihit game, seemed to acknowledge he didn’t pick up the sign when he pointed to his eyes.
The Rangers scored twice in the eighth, when Jung had an RBI single and Nathaniel Lowe a sacrifice fly.
Texas starter Andrew Heaney struck out eight with one walk and didn’t give up a run while pitching into the sixth inning. The left-hander with 13 losses has given up only one run over 15 innings (0.60 ERA) his last three starts without a decision in any of them.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.