Jake Burger answered Tampa Bay's early outburst the only way a middle-of-the-order bat can - by clearing the fences twice and forcing the American League's best team into a late chase it could not finish.
Texas trailed 4-0 after a 10-batter second inning against MacKenzie Gore, then trailed 5-1 in the fourth. Burger's leadoff drive in the second (402 feet) and his two-run shot leading off the fourth (428 feet), both off Ian Seymour, kept the Rangers within striking distance long enough for the rest of the lineup to catch up.
By the ninth, Jakob Junis had closed an 8-6 win that split the four-game series and left Texas at 71-73, two games behind Houston in the AL West and in the wild-card math, per the Associated Press.
ESPN's box matches that line and lists Burger 2-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, a walk, two strikeouts, and a .239/.305/.433 slash after the night. The RBI total moved to 82, the club lead, and the two homers tied him for the team lead with 25. The Associated Press counted it as his ninth career multihomer game.
Two deficits, one night
Gore lasted three innings and allowed seven hits and five runs with three walks and one strikeout. Tampa Bay's second-inning cluster - singles from Victor Mesa Jr., Nick Fortes, and Yandy Díaz, plus Jonathan Aranda's sacrifice fly - built the first four-run cushion. Junior Caminero's sacrifice fly in the fourth stretched it to 5-1 before Burger's second blast, Wyatt Langford scoring ahead of him.
Justin Foscue doubled home Ezequiel Durán and Logan O'Hoppe later in that fourth to knot it 5-5. In the fifth, Elias Díaz singled off Steven Matz (5-5) to score Burger for the lead, and Durán singled off Casey Legumina to bring home O'Hoppe. Matz took the loss (5-5) after one inning with three hits and two earned runs.
Trevor Williams, signed last week after Washington released him, worked two scoreless innings for the win (1-0), his first since May 2025, the AP reported.
