Texas Rangers begin title defense with extra innings walkoff win
After a terrible no-call made Jonah Heim the goat behind the plate, he got the last laugh with a smash in the tenth to walk off the Chicago Cubs.
The Texas Rangers started off their first ever title defense on the right foot. The 2024 Major League season sees the Rangers start with a win as they try to repeat their World Series success. But Rangers are going to do what Rangers are going to do, as Bruce Bochy’s boys went the long way around to it, needing extra innings to beat the Chicago Cubs by a score of 4-3 on 2024′s Opening Day.
The Cubs opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly by Dansby Swanson in the second inning. The shortstop sent the ball to deep center field and Christopher Morel was able to jog the final ninety feet.
The Rangers tied it up the same way, with rookie Wyatt Langford sacrificing himself so that Josh Jung could score the tying run. Later, Langford would show off his wheels, when in the sixth he beat out a ground ball to third for an infield hit.
Cody Bellinger regained the lead for Chicago with a double to right field, which scored Seiya Suzuki from third. Adolis “El Bombi” García was one of the Rangers’ strongest weapons in their World Series run last year and on Opening Day he picked up where he left off, hitting a solo home run in the sixth inning to tie the game up for the second time.
Travis Jankowski saves Jonah Heim
After two innings of dominant pitching, José Leclerc walked both Michael Busch and Nico Hoerner to start the ninth.
Miles Mastrobuoni was brought on as a pinch hitter to try and win the game. However, Chicago’s go-ahead run did not come due to the Cubs’ success, but rather due to the umpire’s error. Mastrobuoni foul tipped a low sinker that got past catcher Jonah Heim’s glove and rolled to the backstop. The umpire did not rule it a foul and with Heim not giving chase, Busch rounded third and scored on the play. Protests by Heim and the Rangers came to nothing since this is not a reviewable play and the Cubs took the lead 3-2.
In the bottom half of the ninth, the Rangers chose Travis Jankowski as a pinch-hitter to face Adbert Alzolay and the gamble paid off when he hit a solo home run to tie the game for a third time.
Rangers win thanks to Heim
After Jankowski’s home run there were extra innings and fans at Globe Life Field enjoyed free baseball. The Cubs were unable to score in their at-bat and the Rangers won thanks to Drew Smyly loading the bases with walks. With Josh Jung, Adolis García and Wyatt Langford on the bases with two outs, Jonah Heim only had to hit a single to the field to leave the Cubs prone and have the last laugh. Heim is arguably the best catcher in baseball and a large part of that is his bat. He was a clutch hitter on so many occasions last season, and 2024 sees him rise to the challenge, despite the terrible umpiring, and walk it off with a hit to the gap in right center. The defending champion Rangers start the season with a win, in the most Texas way possible. The hard way.