ARLINGTON, Texas — Josh Jung hit a three-run homer off All-Star closer Mason Miller in the 10th inning, and the Texas Rangers beat the Oakland Athletics 6-4 on Sunday.
The Rangers won in walk-off fashion for the second game in a row, and the fifth time in their six home wins since Aug. 5.
“They keep fighting, so that's what I have to say about them,” said Bruce Bochy, who matched Bucky Harris for eighth on the manager wins list with No. 2,158. “You get down two there (in) extra innings, you’ve got your hands full with one of the best closers in the game.”
Miller (1-2), the winning pitcher for the American League in the All-Star Game in Texas this summer, worked a scoreless ninth and got the first two outs in the 10th before Adolis García hit a 2-2 slider for an RBI single and Wyatt Langford walked after fouling off four pitches. Jung then drove a 101.7 mph fastball the opposite way and just inside the right-field pole for his fifth homer.
Jung, in only his 28th game since missing 102 because of a fractured right wrist, wasn't sure the ball was gone until it landed just a couple of rows deep.
“It's a positive thing, it puts things in the right direction,” said Jung, who still lamented missing an RBI chance earlier in the game. “I went out there and started over-swinging again, felt like I just fixed that the other day. So being able to not lunge at 100 (mph) and be able to turn it around is big for me.”
Oakland had gone ahead in the 10th against Matt Festa (3-1), who struck out his first two batters before Seth Brown hit a tiebreaking RBI triple and Zack Gelof followed with a double.
Miller, who hadn't pitched since Wednesday, threw 34 pitches in his 1 2/3 innings.
“That last at-bat of the game is a fastball up and in. Jung got the barrel to it and it goes out to right field," A's manager Mark Kotsay said. “So, you know, a tough way to lose. But we had the right guy on the mound and it just didn't go our way today.”
Lawrence Butler and Brent Rooker each had four hits for the A's (59-78), who had runners at first and third in the ninth before Shea Langeliers grounded into an inning-ending double play. Oakland had 16 hits and left 11 runners on base.
Corey Seager hit a one-out double in the first for Texas (65-72) and scored on a double by García, who entered in a 6-for-40 slide over his previous 11 games. García added another double leading off the sixth, when the Rangers loaded the bases without scoring.
