The night stayed scoreless long enough to feel unfinished. Then Wyatt Langford turned the 10th into the only inning that will be remembered.
According to the Associated Press recap carried on ESPN, Langford delivered a tying two-out RBI double in the 10th and later scored the winning run as the Texas Rangers beat the Los Angeles Angels 2-1 in 10 innings Friday night at Globe Life Field. ESPN's box score has him 1-for-5 with one run, one RBI, and one double - his 15th of the season.
Down to the last strike
MLB.com's game story put the at-bat on a knife edge: Langford was down to the Rangers' last strike before he doubled down the right-field line to score automatic runner Evan Carter and knot the game. MLB.com stressed Langford was down to Texas' last strike before he doubled down the right-field line; the AP summarized the same swing as the tying RBI double that scored Carter.
The top of the 10th had already gone the other way. The AP wrote that Angels third baseman Denzer Guzman opened the extra frame with an RBI double that scored the automatic runner, putting Los Angeles ahead in what the AP called the eighth MLB game this season to enter extras still scoreless.
How the winner scored
With two outs in the bottom of the 10th, after an intentional walk, Guzman made a backhanded stop on a grounder by Ezequiel Duran, the AP reported. Guzman's throw to second sailed wide while trying for an inning-ending force, and Langford raced home. MLB.com timed Duran's contact at 100.8 mph and described the same wide throw that let Langford score.
ESPN and the AP both had Tyler Alexander (4-2) taking the win after pitching the 10th; Joyce (0-1) allowed both runs in the frame as unearned.
