ARLINGTON, Texas – In a thrilling night at Globe Life Field, the Texas Rangers reclaimed a .500 record and moved into a first‑place tie in the American League West after a 7‑3 victory over the Boston Red Sox. The win, highlighted by a seventh‑inning tiebreaking double from Brandon Nimmo and a two‑run single by Ezequiel Duran, gave the Rangers (76‑76) a crucial boost as the regular season winds down.
Key moments
After falling behind 2‑0 in the first inning on a two‑run homer by Willson Contreras, Texas answered back quickly. Justin Foscue doubled on the first pitch from Red Sox rookie Jake Bennett and later scored on a ground‑rule double by Jake Burger. The Rangers tied the game in the fourth when Foscue drove in a run with an RBI single, and Wyatt Langford added another RBI single in the fifth.
The decisive swing came in the seventh. Nimmo’s double put runners on first and second, and Duran’s two‑run single broke the tie, giving Texas a 5‑3 lead. Boston rallied with a run in the eighth, but the Rangers held firm, adding two insurance runs in the ninth to seal the victory.
Pitching performances
Boston’s starter MacKenzie Gore, who was making his 32nd start of the season – tied for the most in the majors – allowed only two hits but struggled with control, walking three batters and failing to record a strikeout. Reliever Erik Miller (4‑1) worked the seventh inning when the Rangers scored three runs.
For Texas, Nathan Eovaldi (11‑9) came in as a reliever and delivered four scoreless innings, retiring the last 11 batters he faced. Eovaldi, returning from a month‑long stint on the injured list due to elbow inflammation, earned the win in his second appearance of the season.
Division implications
The Rangers’ victory brings their record to an even .500 mark for the first time since Aug. 24, when they were 66‑66. With only ten games left in the regular season, Texas now shares the AL West lead with the Houston Astros, who sit atop the division thanks to a head‑to‑head tiebreaker. The Astros lost 5‑2 to the Kansas City Royals earlier in the day, opening the door for the Rangers to catch up.
Boston (82‑70) remains in the second American League wild‑card spot, five games ahead of the Chicago White Sox, despite losing five of its last seven games.
Looking ahead
Both clubs have important series finales this week. The Red Sox will start right‑hander Sonny Gray (17‑5, 2.76 ERA), who is chasing his 18th win of the season. The Rangers will give the ball to left‑hander Cody Bradford (0‑5, 4.72 ERA) in the next start.
As the season draws to a close, the Rangers will look to capitalize on their momentum and keep pace with the Astros in the tight West race, while Boston hopes to rebound and secure a wild‑card berth.
Original reporting: Fort Worth, TX Sports (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
