6-6 - Rangers survive National League Baseball to take series finale 5-2

Maybe you were watching perhaps the most synonymous with this area/era DFW sports legend play his last game. Maybe you were watching the local hockey team begin their quest to shock folks as written-off underdogs. Maybe, instead, you were watching the Rangers play NL baseball.

At the very least, if you chose the latter, you got to see the Rangers win and end their losing streak and hey, hometown hero Hunter Pence hit his first homer with TEXAS across his chest. Of course, since he’s Hunter Pence, he doinked it into the hot tub.

Dirk forever.

The Stars are up 1-0.

DH in both leagues, please.

P.S. Yes, Jose Leclerc is maybe broken but I don’t want to talk about this at all and am completely ignoring it na na na na I can’t hear you

Player of the Game: Lance Lynn deserves a lot of credit for keeping the Rangers in this one as Texas didn’t even have a baserunner through 3 ¹⁄₃ innings against Diamondbacks hurler Robbie Ray and didn’t collect a hit until Delino DeShields singled in the top of the sixth. Overall, Lynn went six innings and allowed just the one run while striking out nine D-Backs.

But the nod goes to DeShields who had a nice game after a rough start to the year. His single with the game 1-0 Arizona was followed by a stolen base and he ended up at third on an error. DeShields scored the tying run on a Logan Forsythe single and then he plated the eventual winning run with an RBI single in the top of the seventh. DeShields also drew a walk as he played the role of top-of-the-lineup catalyst to great success.

Up Next: The Rangers take a break to recover from double switches and pitchers hitting before arriving back home to open a series against the Oakland Athletics beginning on Friday night. Drew Smyly is listed as the probable starter for Texas and he will duel RHP Mike Fiers for the fightin’ Profars. First pitch in Friday’s opener from Arlington is scheduled for 7:05 pm CT.