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There's no doubt that Carlos Gomez was a controversial addition by the Rangers after he was dumped by the Astros. The perception of Gomez is a little like that of Rougned Odor in that he plays with an edge that can rub folks the wrong way. When you're an All-Star like Gomez was in Milwaukee, or a productive every day player like Rougie is in Texas, that swagger is embraced by your team.
When you're hitting .210/.272/.322, as he was in Houston this season, folks are less likely to put up with any extra bravado. But the Rangers have had a black hole in left field for seemingly years now and were willing to take a chance on Jeff Luhnow's costly castoff.
Here's what Gomez did on the second pitch of his career with the Rangers:
First at-bat as a Ranger for @RealCarlosGomez ? How 'bout a 3-run homer.#Rangers #MLB pic.twitter.com/2DGedbERAX
— Mike Leslie (@MikeLeslieWFAA) August 26, 2016
Jon Daniels, man. The Rangers' troll game is too strong. What I wouldn't give to have video of Luhnow's reaction the moment that ball left the bat.
Texas beat the team many figure to be the favorites in the American League by the final score of 9-0 as the Rangers began this pivotal 10-game homestand against Cleveland/Seattle/Houston with an emphatic win. Blowout wins have eluded the Rangers for the most part all season long, so to get one tonight felt especially good.
Also, this happened tonight:
Jose Bautista doesn't have to wear sunglasses now because of all this shade.
Player of the Game: I got this far in the PGT without mentioning that Adrian Beltre hit a three-run pizza dong. That's how good this game was. A strong case could be made for October hero Mike Napoli for player of the game as his two errors in the 5th helped the Rangers blow the game open. But, nah.
Cole Hamels was unreal good tonight. Hamels went eight shutout innings and allowed a first inning single and retired everyone until a single in the 8th. Hamels struck out eight Indians to pick up his 14th win in his latest bid to claim the first Cy Young Award in franchise history.
Up Next: Perhaps Hamels' biggest threat for the Cy faces the Rangers on Friday as Cleveland's Corey Kluber pitches against home Martin Perez. Home Martin Perez is of course a different animal than road Martin Perez. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 pm CT.