ARLINGTON -- As the ball left his bat, Joc Pederson looked toward the Rangers dugout and emphatically shouted: “Don’t [MESS] with me!” before flinging his bat and beginning his home run trot. The announced crowd of 33,320 exploded behind him.
Pederson really, really, really needed that one. And so did the Rangers.
“I think there was a lot of excitement, a lot of built up aggression and anger from a long season,” Pederson said postgame. “It was a lot of all that and I felt it. … Baseball is a lot more than one moment, so hopefully I can have some more.”
Pederson was working through the worst offensive season of his career before a fractured wrist sidelined him in May. At the time, he was slashing .131/.269/.238 with just two home runs and five doubles in 46 games. In seven games since his return, he was just 2-for-21 with six strikeouts.
Pederson didn’t walk it off on Monday night -- that was Josh Jung -- but he did deliver a pinch-hit, game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth inning off Yankees closer Devin Williams, sending the game to extras to set up the eventual 8-5 walk-off. It was Pederson’s seventh career pinch-hit home run and his first in the ninth inning or later since Sept. 1, 2019.
“He was electric,” Jung said. “Baseball's hard. Sometimes it beats you down when you're already down. Watching him go in there, especially today, off a pretty good closer, and hit the homer to tie it. I mean, that's special to watch.”
Pederson, who is in the first season of a two-year deal with Texas, has not looked like the guy they signed all season long. His struggles are well documented, and he’s been open and honest about how frustrating it’s been for him to not feel like himself at the plate.
He’s worked hard since returning from injury, taking live batting practice when he can, and spending time in the cage with hitting coach Justin Viele, trying everything to get this figured out.
"You get behind and it feels like you're in quicksand,” Pederson said. “You want to get four hits in one day or five hits in one at-bat. I can go 10-for-10, and it's not going to change the results of the past. I think chasing that instant gratification is what continuously gets you in trouble.
"The beautiful thing about baseball is it's just one pitch at a time. As frustrating as it’s been and the lost sleep I’ve had over the past couple months of production, it's irrelevant. I can't change that now. All I can do is focus on the next one right in front of me and continue to put together quality at-bats.”
Not to be forgotten, Jung launched his walk-off homer with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning after the Yankees opted to intentionally walk Wyatt Langford ahead of him. It was Jung’s third career walk-off plate appearance and second walk-off home run. It came in his return to the lineup following a four-game absence (left calf soreness).
"Amazing,” Jung said. “It was awesome. I felt like I was floating around the bases. That was cool.”
The Rangers' third baseman has gone through his own share of struggles this season. Jung was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on July 3, his first demotion since making his MLB debut in Sept. 2022.
His 2-for-4 day extended his season-high hitting streak to 10 games. He’s batting .382 on his active hitting streak, boosting his season average from .237 to .252.
“That’s going to define our ballclub -- guys like that,” reliever Jon Gray said of Pederson and Jung. “The whole season is so long, and it's a big battle. Just because one part of it isn't the way you want it doesn't mean you should give up. Those guys have a ton of fight in them. They're going to contribute to this. Better now than never.”
It was a much-needed victory to open the homestand after the Rangers' front office added pieces at the Trade Deadline amidst a 2-5 West Coast road trip.
Manager Bruce Bochy has predictably remained steady throughout both good and bad stretches this season. He’s said multiple times that this team would find its footing and start playing good baseball.
Monday marked the Rangers' largest come-from-behind win (three runs) of the season, their largest such win since Sept. 28, 2024, in Anaheim (when they overcame a 7-1 deficit to win 9-8). Texas entered play Monday as the only team without a comeback win of three or more runs this season.
“I think, more than anything, it's wanting it,” Bochy said pregame on Monday. “You gotta want it in the worst way. Live it, breathe it. You gotta go out every game determined to win the ballgame. And putting the losses behind you, that's gotta be important too. Because every now and then, with how tight things are, every loss can be magnified. There’s a lot of baseball left. We’ve gotta keep that focus every day.”