Josh Smith game-ending HR for Rangers in 4-3 win after Astros go ahead on consecutive hit batters

AP Baseball Writer

ARLINGTON, Texcas (AP) — Josh Smith hit his first game-ending homer at any level, and it came for the Texas Rangers against the Houston Astros in the opener of the final series this season between the AL West rivals and last two World Series champions.

Smith pulled a 410-foot homer into the right-center seats with two outs in the 10th Monday night to give the Rangers a 4-3 win after Houston had gone ahead in the top of the inning when consecutive batters were hit by pitches.

“That’s pretty cool, and then to do it against the rival and division team is pretty sweet,” Smith said of his homer. “To do in that situation against that team with where we’re at right now is pretty important”

Corey Seager hit his 23rd homer, his fourth in four games, with two outs in the eighth for the defending champion Rangers (54-59), who moved five games within AL West-leading and idle Seattle. They are 8 1/2 games back for a wild-card spot.

“The excitement speaks for it all. You know that’s how the team feels right now. It almost feels like a weight lifted off our shoulders. You know, you get to exhale a little bit,” said Seager, who was on deck when Smith went deep. “So really cool swing out of him, and something we really needed.”

That game-ending blast off Caleb Ferguson (1-4) made a winner out of All-Star closer Kirby Yates (4-1), who in the top of the 10th hit consecutive batters with pitches, the first a disputed play, to force in a go-ahead run.

Texas had intentionally walked slugger Yordan Alvarez with one out before Yainer Diaz checked his swing and claimed he was hit on the hand by the pitch. The Rangers challenged when home plate umpire Will Little granted the base, but the call stood on replay review. Yates then hit Jeremy Peña with a pitch to force in a run.

“I don’t think you can have two bigger home runs of what we got late,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. “Those big home runs and and really, you look at Kirby that game. It could have gotten away there in the 10th inning. But kept his poise and got the next two guys out to keep it a one-run ballgame.”

Houston (57-55), the 2022 champ, is 1 1/2 games behind the Mariners after twice giving up the lead against the Rangers.

“That’s baseball. Sometimes you got to tip your hat,” said Alex Bregman, who homered for the Astros. “Seager took a really good swing on a good pitch and Smith took a great swing as well.”

Texas took a 6-5 lead in the season series with two games remaining. They both finished with 90 wins last year, and Houston was declared the AL West champion on the head-to-head tiebreaker after winning nine of 13 games during the regular season, and made Texas a wild card.

The Astros led 2-1 in the eighth when Peña drove in a run with a slow, two-hop infield single with the bases loaded against reliever David Robertson, who then struck out the last two batters.

The Astros were 1 for 7 with five strikeouts with the bases loaded from the seventh inning until the end of the game.

Both starting pitchers, Houston’s Hunter Brown and Texas lefty Andrew Heaney, struck out four while giving up only one run over six innings.

Heaney pitched one-hit ball in his six innings, that hit being Bregman’s 15th homer for a 1-0 lead in the third. Heaney allowed only two other base runners, on a walk and hit batter, but neither got past first base.

When José Leclerc replaced Heaney to start the seventh, Houston had a walk, hit and sacrifice bunt. Andrew Chafin, acquired in a trade last week, entered with a four-pitch walk to load the bases before consecutive strikeouts.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Astros: Justin Verlander, who hasn’t pitched since June 9 because of neck stiffness, will throw a bullpen session this week. A rehab assignment should follow if all goes well for the three-time Cy Young Award winner.

UP NEXT

RHP Tyler Mahle makes his Rangers debut, pitching for the first time since Tommy John surgery in May 2023. Texas signed him to a $22 million, two-year deal in free agency last December, knowing he had to rehab for much of this season. Astros lefty Framber Valdez faces the Rangers for the time since losing to them twice in last year’s AL Championship Series.

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