The Rangers built their roster on big free-agent signings and splashy trades. But their success in Game 1 of the American League Division Series was powered by a different source—their homegrown rookies.
Texas beat the Orioles, 3-2, in Game 1 of the ALDS on Saturday thanks in large part to left fielder Evan Carter, who broke up a scoreless game in the fourth with an RBI double, and third baseman Josh Jung, who added insurance with a home run in the sixth. The pair of rookies shined in the wild card series against the Rays. They’ve continued apace in the ALDS.
“I don’t think there’s anything they can’t do,” Rangers catcher Jonah Heim said.
Carter’s performance on Saturday made him the youngest player in MLB history to have four extra-base hits in his first three postseason games. Just three players have ever had more such hits in his first three playoff games. And Carter is tied for fourth place with… Jung.
The two youngsters stand out on this team not just for their youth but for how they came into the organization. Jung and Carter are the only players in this lineup who were drafted by the Rangers—Jung in the first round in 2019 and Carter in the second round in ’20. (The only other player on the roster drafted by the team is reliever Cody Bradford, also a rookie, who was selected after Jung in ’19.) They were not expected to be such key contributors so quickly on a club that spent half a billion dollars on its infield and poured more into other big acquisitions. But the Rangers are more than happy to have the production. And the veteran leadership on the team has done their part to set them up for their success.
“If you’re a rookie on a team like this and you don’t learn anything, you’re doing something wrong,” Bradford says. “You’ve got to make sure you’re asking questions all the time … All the guys love to help us out.”
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For Carter, the youngest player on the roster at just 21, the list of players helping him includes Jung. While both are rookies experiencing the postseason for the first time, Jung was initially called up last season and was back in the majors this year for Opening Day. He also played college ball, making him four years older than Carter, who was drafted out of high school. That’s a wealth of experience compared to his younger teammate—who was called up just a month ago and still has fewer than 100 MLB plate appearances.
“He’s on a long list of people that have helped me out a lot this year, as far as just pointing me in the right direction with routines. ‘Hey, this is what this guy feels like, this is how you act,’” Carter said of Jung.
Their contributions were not limited to driving in runs. Jung orchestrated a crucial double play with two runners on in the eighth inning to preserve the one-run lead. “Big plays defensively,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “That double play was not an easy play and he made it look easy.” Carter, meanwhile, got on base in three of his four plate appearances after drawing a pair of walks. He’d spent most of his major-league experience so far batting ninth—where he initially slotted into the lineup when he was called up. The Rangers moved him up to fifth on Saturday, however, and he took it in stride.
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“He’s a gifted hitter,” Bochy said. “We move him to the five hole and [that] didn’t faze him one bit. Goes out there and took some great at-bats, which we needed off this staff … He just sees the ball so well.”
The Game 1 win took a balanced effort from the Rangers pitching staff. Bochy lifted starter Andrew Heaney at the first sign of trouble: Midway through the fourth inning, he walked Anthony Santander, only to allow him to score on a double from Ryan Mountcastle. It was his first walk of the game and just his second hit. But the goal had never been to get much length from Heaney, who’d been moved from the rotation to relief for most of September, and so it was time to go to the bullpen in the fourth. Texas covered the rest of the game with the relief quintet of Dane Dunning, Will Smith, Josh Sborz, Aroldis Chapman and José Leclerc.
The group found itself in a handful of jams but was able to shut them all down. Which puts the pressure for Sunday on the Orioles, who left five men on base, going 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position.
“This is a tough team to beat if you score [only] two runs,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said. “They’re unbelievably patient. They don’t chase out of the zone … We didn’t have the offense today.”
