ANAHEIM, Calif. — Jose Suarez kept the Texas Rangers and the Angel Stadium crowd on their toes in his final start of the season.
On Saturday night, Suarez turned a seemingly meaningless October game into a career highlight, taking a perfect-game bid against the Rangers into the seventh inning. That bid ended with the leadoff batter in the seventh, Marcus Semien, but the Angels beat Texas 3-2 for their sixth consecutive victory.
Semien hit Suarez’s first pitch, a changeup, for a single that rolled into left field. The home crowd saluted Suarez’s efforts with a round of applause.
Suarez also gave up a towering, two-run home run to Nathaniel Lowe before the top of the seventh was over, allowing the Rangers to pull ahead 2-1.
The Angels got both of those runs back for him in the bottom of the seventh. David Fletcher hit a single, then Kurt Suzuki — the starting catcher for his final Angels home game — was hit by a pitch.
Livan Soto then hit a double, making his way to third base as Rangers center fielder Leody Taveras threw home. Fletcher scored easily, but Suzuki was tagged out in the back of the head by Rangers catcher Jonah Heim.
Matt Thaiss pinch-hit and reached on a fielder’s choice, with a hustling Soto beating the throw to the plate to score.
Suzuki drove in the Angels’ first run in the second inning on a run-scoring single for his 730th career RBI.
Suarez was replaced by reliever Zack Weiss, who pitched a clean eighth, and Ryan Tepera closed out the game. Suarez gave up two hits, struck out six and walked none in his seven-inning effort.
