Exciting Start
In the top of the first, our bats were still waking up. Manuel Margot, Carlos Santana, and Max Kepler all flew out, not getting us the start we hoped for. On the flip side, our defense held strong, shutting the Rangers down just as quickly.
Early Lead for Rangers
Royce Lewis got us a hit in the second, but Jose Miranda, Matt Wallner, and Kyle Farmer couldn’t capitalize. In the bottom half, Adolis García got on base, and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly. The Rangers took an early 1-0 lead.
Jeffers' Power Surge!
Ryan Jeffers woke us all up with a solo homer in the top of the third! That tied the game at 1-1. However, we couldn’t get any more runners on base in that frame. Tight defense by both teams kept things quiet in the bottom half.
Missed Opportunity
We kept the energy up in the fourth, but left two men on base without scoring. Meanwhile, our defense held the Rangers in check, keeping the game tied at 1-1.
Santana Strikes!
The top of the fifth was electric! Jeffers took a hit-by-pitch like a champ, followed by Santana smashing a three-run homer to bring Jeffers and Margot home. Suddenly, we surged ahead 4-1! Marcus Semien responded with a solo homer, but we kept the lead at 4-2 by the end of the inning.
Tense Sixth Inning
We couldn't add to our lead in the sixth, and things got intense when Langford hit a single to bring the score to 4-3. But our defense held strong, with Kelly striking out to end the inning.
Holding the Line
Neither team could get much going in the seventh and eighth innings. The tension was incredible as we headed into the final inning with our slim lead intact. The nerves were real, folks!
Duran Seals the Deal
In the bottom of the ninth, our closer Jhoan Duran came in to nail it down. Langford and Kelly were quickly dispatched, but Leody Taveras' infield single and stolen base had us on edge. Semien struck out swinging to end the game, and we emerged victorious 4-3!
What a nail-biter! Great job team, let's keep this momentum going!
Scoreboard for Twins @ Rangers (August 17th, 2024)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 0 |
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 1 |