ARLINGTON -- It didn't take long for Ketel Marte to answer how he’s feeling at the plate these days.
“I’m feeling good,” Marte said.
Yes, he is.
Marte delivered late heroics for the second time in as many days, launching a three-run home run to cap a remarkable rally and lift the Diamondbacks to a 6-4 victory over the Rangers on Wednesday afternoon at Globe Life Field.
Arizona trailed, 4-2, and was down to its final out in the ninth when the improbable comeback started against Texas reliever Phil Maton. James McCann sent a solo home run over the left-field fence to cut the deficit to 4-3.
Blaze Alexander then reached on a hit by pitch followed by Geraldo Perdomo drawing a walk. Marte, the day after launching a go-ahead 445-foot homer in the ninth inning, sent a 413-foot shot into the right-field seats to push the Diamondbacks in front, 6-4.
It was Marte's fourth career go-ahead home run in the ninth inning or later, and just the ninth home run in franchise history that turned a deficit into a lead in the ninth inning or later -- the first since Randal Grichuk’s two-run homer on July 5, 2024 at San Diego.
“My body is good, I’m healthy,” said Marte, who had a four-hit game with three singles in the early innings. “I’ve just got to believe it. That’s the kind of player I am.”
Marte’s home run and the late-game comeback took precedent over the pitching matchup between former teammates Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly. The two grew close over their years with the Diamondbacks, becoming golfing buddies and dinner companions.
They rank among the franchise’s all-time leaders in wins and strikeouts, but were on opposite sides for the first time after the Diamondbacks traded Kelly to the Rangers for three Minor League prospects on July 31.
The pitchers' duel lived up to the hype early on, although it appeared Kelly and the Rangers would prevail.
Gallen didn’t match what he’d done in his first two August starts -- holding the Athletics to two runs over six innings on Aug. 2 and the Rockies to one run over six innings on Friday -- but he kept the Diamondbacks in the game.
When Gallen exited after giving up three runs over five innings, Arizona trailed just 3-2.
“For me, once I slipped across the white lines, it was just about facing the Rangers’ lineup,” Gallen said. “I’m just trying to go out there and make pitches against them and hold them to minimal runs. Merrill was going to be tough on us, so I just tried to do my job and give us a chance to win.”
Gallen accomplished that initiative, then watched his teammates pull off the thrilling comeback in the training room. He praised the at-bats from all involved in the ninth-inning rally, starting with McCann’s homer, then Alexander and Perdomo setting the table for Marte.
“I was in the training room watching it and just thinking, you know, let Marte get up with some runners on, see what happens,” Gallen said. “And he got a mistake and didn’t miss it.”
Kelly wasn’t surprised to see his former teammate rise to the occasion, either.
“There’s a reason why he was top three in [MVP voting last year]. What you saw today is him in a nutshell,” Kelly said. “He gets good pitches, he gets bad pitches. He can work the count, he can work the at-bat and punch a single on the left or hurt you with a big time moment from either side of the plate. Obviously, he proved that last two nights. He's kind of the guy that you circle in that lineup and don't want to beat you for that reason. Unfortunately we let him beat us last two days."
Arizona now leads MLB this season with four wins when trailing by two or more runs after the eighth inning with the last coming June 14 vs. San Diego. The Diamondbacks have also won four series since the All-Star break and remain an outside threat in the NL Wild Card race.
“An unbelievable end. I love these boys,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “They fight. They go out there every single day to win a baseball game. Things have not always gone our way, but we are continuing to play hard. When you have good moments like that … celebrate and enjoy it. I'm like a proud dad, it was a great moment for this team.”