Texas at Seattle

Texas at Seattle

This is Missed It. Texas at Seattle, Thursday, September 10, 68 and cloudy at T-Mobile Park, with the Rangers. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

It's a fresh one here in Seattle. The Texas Rangers are on the road, taking on the Seattle Mariners. We've got a full nine innings ahead of us, and both sides are looking to make a statement. The Rangers are looking to get things going early, and the Mariners are looking to protect their home turf. It's a new day, a new game, and we're ready for it.

Innings 1-3

We get things started in the top of the first. The Rangers come up, and it's a quick one. Three batters, and we're back in the dugout. Nothing doing. Score stays at zero-zero. The Mariners come up in the bottom half, and they go just as quietly. Three batters, no runs. We're still tied at zero. The top of the second is more of the same. Three Rangers up, three Rangers down. No runs. The bottom of the second, the Mariners do the exact same thing. Three up, three down. We're still scoreless. Then comes the top of the third. This is where things start to heat up. With one out and nobody on, Nicky Lopez steps in. He gets a hold of one and singles on a ground ball to center fielder Julio Rodríguez. That gets the rally started. That gets the dugout feeling something. Now we've got a runner on first with one out. The next two batters go down, and it looks like we might strand him. But then, with two outs and a runner on, Joc Pederson comes to the plate. And he doesn't miss it. He homers on a fly ball to right center field. Nicky Lopez scores. Joc Pederson scores. Just like that, it's two to nothing, Rangers. The dugout erupts. The bench is on its feet. That's how you break a scoreless tie. The Mariners come up in the bottom of the third, and they go down in order. Three batters, no runs. We take that two-nothing lead into the fourth.

Innings 4-6

The top of the fourth is a quiet one. Three Rangers batters, no runs. We still hold that two-nothing lead. The bottom of the fourth, the Mariners go down just as quietly. Three batters, no runs. We're still up two. Then comes the top of the fifth. This is where we start to build. With no outs and nobody on, Evan Carter steps in. He gets hit by the pitch. That puts a runner on first with nobody out. That's a free base, and we'll take it. Then things get interesting. A couple of batters later, we've got runners on first and second with nobody out. And that's when Nicky Lopez comes up again. He lays down a bunt, a beautiful bunt, a ground ball to pitcher Logan Gilbert. And it works. Evan Carter scores. Jake Burger moves to second. Nicky Lopez is safe. It's three to nothing, Rangers. That's how you manufacture a run. That's how you play small ball and make it count. The bottom of the fifth, the Mariners go down in order again. Three batters, no runs. We're still up three. The top of the sixth is a quick one. Three Rangers, no runs. The bottom of the sixth, the Mariners get a little something going. Four batters come up, but they can't push anything across. No runs. We take that three-nothing lead into the seventh.

The Stretch

So here we are at the stretch. We're up three to nothing, and it feels good. It feels right. The first half of this game belonged to us. We got the big blow with Joc Pederson's two-run homer in the third, and then we added on with that beautiful bunt from Nicky Lopez in the fifth. That bunt was the play of the half, as far as I'm concerned. It was a heads-up, smart, aggressive piece of baseball. It took a two-nothing lead and made it three. It gave us breathing room. Now we need to hold on. We need our pitching to keep doing what it's been doing, and we need our defense to stay sharp. We've got six outs to get, and we've got a three-run lead. Let's finish this thing.

Innings 7-9

The top of the seventh, we send four batters to the plate. We can't push anything across. No runs. The score stays at three to nothing. And that's where things get interesting. That's where the game turns.

The Sequence

The bottom of the seventh. This is where the game is decided. This is where everything changes. The Mariners come up, and they've got life. With no outs and a runner on, Dominic Canzone steps in. He singles on a ground ball to left fielder Wyatt Langford. Randy Arozarena scores. Just like that, it's three to one. The lead is shrinking. The crowd is getting into it. And we're feeling the pressure. But it doesn't stop there. With no outs and a runner on, Cal Raleigh steps in. He singles on a line drive to center fielder Evan Carter. Dominic Canzone moves to second. Now we've got runners on first and second with nobody out. The tying run is at the plate. The go-ahead run is in the on-deck circle. This is the moment. This is the hinge. And then Julio Rodríguez steps in. And he doesn't miss it. He homers on a line drive to left center field. Dominic Canzone scores. Cal Raleigh scores. Julio Rodríguez scores. It's four to three, Mariners. Just like that. The lead is gone. The game is flipped. The crowd is on its feet. And we're reeling. We come up in the top of the eighth, and we need an answer. With one out and nobody on, Danny Jansen singles on a sharp ground ball to right fielder Lazaro Montes. That gets something started. That gives us a little life. But we can't bring him around. Four batters come up, and we can't push a run across. The score stays at four to three, Mariners. The bottom of the eighth, the Mariners get five batters to the plate, but they can't add on. No runs. It's still four to three. We get one more chance. The top of the ninth. We send five batters to the plate. We fight. We scratch. But we can't get the run across. No runs. The game is over.

Wrap-up

Final score: Texas Rangers three, Seattle Mariners four. It's a tough one. It's a heartbreaker. We had this game. We were up three to nothing. We were in control. And then one swing of the bat changed everything. Julio Rodríguez's home run in the seventh inning took the lead and gave it to them. We fought back, we had our chances, but we couldn't get it done. It's a loss. It stings. But we turn the page and get ready for the next one. That's all we can do.

Outro

That was Texas at Seattle, from the Rangers side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.

Texas at Seattle

This is Missed It. Texas at Seattle, Thursday, September 10, 68 and cloudy at T-Mobile Park, with the Mariners. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

Texas Rangers at Seattle Mariners. That's the whole story tonight, plain and simple. The Rangers come into our house, and we've got Logan Gilbert on the mound looking to keep them quiet. It's early, it's tight, and it's exactly the kind of night where one swing can change everything. Let's get into it.

Top 1

Three batters for Texas, and Logan Gilbert sets them down without a peep. Quick inning, clean inning, exactly what we needed to start the night. Score stays zero-zero.

Bot 1

Our turn, and it's the same story in reverse. Three batters, no runs, and we're back out there. Nothing doing for either side in the first.

Top 2

Texas again, three batters again, and again nothing. Gilbert is dealing, the defense is sharp, and the Rangers can't get a foothold. Still zero-zero.

Bot 2

We come up and we go down just as quietly. Three batters, no runs. It's one of those nights where the first hit might be the whole ballgame.

Top 3

And there it is. With one out and nobody on, Nicky Lopez drops a single into center field off Julio Rodríguez's glove. Just like that, Texas has a runner, and you can feel the tension creep into the ballpark. Lopez is standing on first, and the Rangers are sniffing something. Then, with two outs, Joc Pederson gets a pitch he likes and launches it to right center. That ball is gone the second it leaves the bat, and Lopez trots home ahead of him. Two runs on the board for Texas, and the crowd goes quiet. That's the kind of blow that can deflate a room, but we've been here before. Score is two-nothing, Rangers.

Bot 3

We need an answer, and we don't get one. Three batters, no runs, and we're back on defense with a two-run hole to climb out of.

Top 4

Gilbert settles back in. Three batters for Texas, no runs, and we escape the inning without any more damage. Still two-nothing, but the bleeding has stopped.

Bot 4

Our turn, and it's more of the same. Three batters, no runs. The bats are cold, the Rangers are sharp, and we're running out of chances to make this a game.

Top 5

Texas is at it again. No outs, bases empty, and Evan Carter takes a pitch off him. He's on first, and now the Rangers have something brewing. Then Nicky Lopez, who's already hurt us once tonight, drops a bunt down the third base line. Logan Gilbert fields it, but there's no play, and Carter motors around to score. Jake Burger moves to second on the throw, and just like that it's three-nothing. That bunt is the kind of small ball that stings worse than a homer, because it's manufactured, it's deliberate, and it works. We're in a real hole now.

Bot 5

We need a spark, and we don't find one. Three batters, no runs. The deficit stays at three, and the frustration is starting to build in the stands.

Top 6

Gilbert gives us one more clean inning. Three batters, no runs, and we head to the stretch still down three. The pitching has been fine, but the offense has been silent.

Bot 6

Four batters this time, but still no runs. We're threatening, we're making contact, but nothing falls. Three-nothing Rangers as we hit the break, and we need something to change.

The Stretch

Here's where we stand. We're down three-nothing, and the play that turned this half was that bunt from Nicky Lopez in the fifth. It wasn't flashy, it wasn't powerful, but it was smart, and it put us in a hole we can't seem to climb out of. The bats have been quiet all night, and the Rangers have been just good enough to make every mistake count. But here's the thing about this team: we've been here before. We've been down, we've been quiet, and we've found a way. We need one hit, one break, one moment to flip this thing. And we've got three innings left to find it.

Top 7

Texas comes up and we hold them. Four batters, no runs, and we keep the deficit at three. The door is still open, but it's closing fast.

Bot 7

And then, everything changes. No outs, a runner on, and Dominic Canzone steps in. He takes a pitch and drives it to left field, and Randy Arozarena is off to the races. He crosses the plate, and the crowd erupts. Three-one, and we're finally on the board. The energy in this ballpark just shifted, and you can feel it in your bones. Then Cal Raleigh steps up, and he lines one to center field. Canzone moves to second, and now we've got two on with nobody out. The Rangers are reeling, and the crowd is deafening. Then Julio Rodríguez, our guy, our star, gets a pitch he can handle. He swings, and that ball is crushed to left center. It's gone. It's gone, and Canzone scores, and Raleigh scores, and Julio is rounding the bases with a three-run homer that just flipped this game on its head. Four-three, Mariners. The place is shaking.

Top 8

Texas comes up needing an answer, and they get a scare. With one out and nobody on, Danny Jansen hits a sharp ground ball to right field off Lazaro Montes, and for a second it feels like trouble. But we settle down, we make the plays, and we get out of the inning without any damage. Still four-three, and we're three outs away.

Bot 8

We get a chance to add on, but we can't. Five batters, no runs, and we hand it back to the defense with a one-run lead. It's going to come down to the ninth.

Top 9

Three outs. That's all that's left. Texas sends up five batters, and every single pitch feels like it's moving in slow motion. They threaten, they fight, they put pressure on us, but we hold. We make the plays, we get the outs, and when that final out is recorded, the crowd lets out a roar that's been building all night. Four-three, Mariners. We did it.

Wrap-up

Four-three. We were down three-nothing, quiet, lifeless, and then Julio Rodríguez turned this whole night around with one swing. This is why we watch. This is why we love this team. We never stopped believing, and neither did they. Mariners win.

Outro

That was Texas at Seattle, from the Mariners side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.