Garcia Sets Rookie HR Record in 7-6 Rangers Win Over Angels

Texas Rangers' Andy Ibanez (77) and Adolis Garcia, right, celebrate a two-run home run by Garcia that also scored Ibanea in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Arlington, Texas on Sept. 30, 2021. AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

ARLINGTON, Texas—Adolis Garcia set a Rangers rookie record for home runs and RBIs and Brock Holt put Texas ahead for the first time with a two-run double in the eighth inning of a series-clinching 7-6 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday.

Shohei Ohtani, the two-way All-Star for Los Angeles who is done pitching this season, got his 99th RBI on his AL-leading eighth triple as the Angels batted around in a five-run first inning.

The 100-loss Rangers hadn’t even been tied in the game before Holt’s double to right off Jimmy Herget (2-3), a right-hander who pitched in four games earlier this season for Texas. That came after Nick Solak’s one-out walk and a double by DJ Peters, who had earlier hit his 13th homer.

Peters had a three-run homer in the third, and Garcia’s 31st homer was a two-run blast in the fifth that went over 400 feet into the Rangers bullpen in right-center and pushed the All-Star outfielder’s RBI total to 90.

It was the first homer for Garcia in 14 games since he tied Pete Incaviglia’s rookie record of 30 homers in 1986. Garcia drove in two runs in the series opener Tuesday to match the 88 RBIs that Incaviglia had in his rookie season.

Spencer Patton (2-2), the fourth Texas pitcher, threw two scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Joe Barlow worked a 1-2-3 ninth against the heart of the Angels lineup for his 11th save in 12 chances, and his eighth save in September.

Texas Rangers shortstop Yonny Hernandez, left, stands by the bag looking at Los Angeles Angels' Shohei Ohtani (17) who reached second with a double as umpire Sam Holbrook looks on in the sixth inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas on Sept. 30, 2021. AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

Ohtani finished 2 for 5 after leading off the ninth with an opposite-field flyout to the warning track in left, and is hitting .259 with three games remaining. He also had a hustling double on a slow grounder through the left side of the infield, and he scored another run to give him 101 for the season. The previous night, Ohtani became the first AL player ever to reach 45 homers, 100 runs and 25 stolen bases in the same season.

Brandon Marsh led off the game with a single and Ohtani immediately followed with a triple to right field. Taylor Ward added a two-run double in the five-run first off rookie Glenn Otto, who threw 63 pitches in his two innings.

Angels starter Alex Cobb had allowed only three homers in 91 innings this season before Peters’ 436-foot drive to straightaway center with two outs in the third, and he also gave up the Garcia blast. The right-hander struck out five and walked two while allowing the five runs on seven hits over five innings.

Trainer’s Room

Angels: Ward left the game with right abductor tightness. Juan Lagares took over in left field in the bottom of the second inning, and his RBI single in the fifth put Los Angeles up 6-3.

Up Next

Angels: Los Angeles finishes its season with a three-game series at Seattle.

Rangers: Texas closes out the season with a three-game series at home against Cleveland, which will be playing its final games as the Indians before it becomes the Guardians.

By Stephen Hawkins