Wyatt Langford delivered a dramatic walk-off grand slam in the ninth inning, propelling the Texas Rangers to a 7-4 victory over the New York Yankees on Tuesday in Arlington, Texas. With the bases loaded and one out, Langford faced a full count and connected with a slider from Clay Holmes (2-5), launching the ball 407 feet into the left field stands.
The rally began when Carson Kelly hit a single with one out, followed by Leody Taveras, who pinch ran and stole second base. Subsequently, Josh Smith and Marcus Semien walked to fill the bases.
In the top of the ninth, Rangers rookie reliever Walter Pennington (1-0) secured the final out to notch his first major league win. Despite trailing 4-1, the Rangers made a comeback in the eighth inning, with Josh Jung, who went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, driving in Josh Smith.
Nathaniel Lowe’s sacrifice fly later brought Marcus Semien home, closing the gap. The Yankees (80-59) had been held scoreless through the first six innings on three hits before finally scoring in the seventh.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Anthony Volpe both singled to start the inning and advanced to third and second base, respectively, due to a balk by reliever Jose Leclerc. Jose Trevino then grounded out, allowing Chisholm to score and leveling the game at 1-1.
In response, Texas manager Bruce Bochy replaced Leclerc with Andrew Chafin for a left-on-left matchup against Alex Verdugo. Verdugo responded with a single that brought Volpe home, putting New York ahead 2-1.
The Yankees further extended their lead in the eighth inning against Chafin and Grant Anderson. Gleyber Torres walked and was forced out at second by Juan Soto’s grounder.
Aaron Judge and Chisholm then singled, loading the bases, and Volpe hit a two-out single into center field, driving in Soto and Judge for a 4-1 lead. Yankees starter Carlos Rodon was dominant, striking out 11 and limiting the Rangers to just one hit through six innings.
The only hit allowed was by Josh Jung in the fourth inning, when he launched a first-pitch fastball over the left-center field wall for a 1-0 lead. Volpe, Chisholm Jr., and Torres each went 2-for-4, contributing to the Yankees’ victory, which was their third win in four games.