ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Texas Rangers scratched and clawed their way to a 4-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 of the American League Wild Card series Tuesday, getting an historic performance from a 21-year-old rookie and seven shutout innings from starter Jordan Montgomery.
The Rangers also got plenty of help from the Rays, who notched four errors throughout the game.
Montgomery was sharp from the start, going seven scoreless innings, giving up six hits and walking none. Relivers Aroldis Chapman and Jose Leclerc closed out the game with scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth, respectively.
And Texas got a breakout performance from 21-year-old rookie Evan Carter, who reached base four times and went 2-for-2 with two doubles. With the performance, Carter became the youngest player in Major League Baseball history to reach safely at least four times in his postseason debut, according to the team.
Carter, batting out of the ninth hole, provided a consistent bridge to the top of the Rangers lineup. And while Marcus Semien struggled going 0-for-4, he was able to follow one of Carter's walks with a walk of his own in the sixth.
Corey Seager then singled to centerfield, and Carter and Semien both scored after a throwing error from Jose Siri.
The errors plagued the Rays from the start. Seager reached on a throwing error by first baseman Yandy Diaz in the first inning; Diaz bobbled the grounder but had time to toss to pitcher Tyler Glasnow, who was covering first. But the throw was off line and Seager reached.
On the flip side, the Rangers got huge defensive plays from Carter in the first, when he dove to make a catch that ended the inning and prevented a run. Then Montgomery helped his cause in the second inning, making a diving catch on a bunt that was popped up near the first-base line.
Texas scored in the second inning on a Josh Jung sac fly. In the fifth, the Rangers extended their lead to 2-0 on a wild pitch by Glasnow, scoring Seager. But Texas left the bases loaded to end the inning.
After Texas' two-run sixth, Montgomery tossed another scoreless inning in the seventh. The lefty reliever Chapman took over in the eighth and tossed a scoreless frame.
Leclerc had a two-out walk in the ninth but got Taylor Walls to fly out to centerfield to end the game.
The Rangers and Rays will play Game 2 on Wednesday at 2:08 p.m. Central Time. All three potential games are at Tropicana Field.
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