Wyatt Langford had been waiting a month for his first home run, and the Texas Rangers rookie got it in an unusual way.
Arlington, Texas — When did Texas Rangers rookie Wyatt Langford find out he had hit his first Major League home run?
He thought he had hit a home run when he connected on a 2-2 pitch from Cincinnati Reds starter Andrew Abbott in the first inning on Sunday, as he has done multiple times this season.
“I thought I did (hit it out),” Langford stated following the Rangers’ 4-3 victory. “That’s why I was a little slow out of the box.”
However, like previous warning track shots this season, this drive landed short of the wall.
The right-handed outfielder hit it into the alley in right center field. It was divided between Reds center fielder Stuart Fairchild and right fielder Jake Fraley.
Then the unexpected occurred. The ball fell past Fraley after bouncing against the bullpen’s sloped wall, which had the 374 marker on top. Langford observed out of the corner of his eye as he approached second place.
“I looked over and I was like, ‘Man, that ball kicked really funny,'” Langford recalled.
Langford turned on the jets.
Dane Dunning, the Rangers pitcher, said he doesn’t normally pay attention when the team hits. He sits on the bench and tries to keep focused. Even he couldn’t ignore what was going on. He noticed his fellow Florida alum standing up, and as his buddies became thrilled, he rose up to watch.
“I saw it hit the wall,” Dunning explained. “I was like, ‘Oh, that’s going to be a double or triple.'”
Rangers’ manager Bruce Bochy was more certain.
“After the way it hit the wall, I said, ‘That’s gonna be an inside-the-parker,'” Bochy recalled.
Langford zipped around second and did not stumble, like he had done earlier in the homestand. When he got to third, Tony Beasley waved him home.
By the time Fraley raced it down and tossed it to Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz, Langford was unstoppable. He crossed home plate with a wide grin on his face, a mix of excitement and relief.
“I feel like I’ve had a bunch of (well-hit) balls, it was just a matter of getting that first one,” he added. “I got it in a weird way.”
Langford became the Rangers’ fourth player to hit an inside-the-park home run in his Major League debut. He joined teammates Josh Smith (July 11, 2022), Craig Gentry (September 23, 2011), and Marc Sagmoen (April 17, 1997).
Smith and Langford are next-door neighbors in the clubhouse.
His home run determined the outcome of the game. It gave Texas a 4-0 advantage, and the Rangers failed to score again.
Langford has finally reached a milestone to remember. However, shortly after the game, he found himself without the baseball.
“I guess they got it,” Langford replied. “I am not sure whether they did or not. “I’ll probably just keep it in my locker for now.”
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