Even after striking out in his first three trips to the plate Sunday, Texas’ Ezequiel Duran wasn’t lacking in confidence as he came up with the bases loaded and none out in the ninth inning of a tie game against the Los Angeles Angels.
Duran delivered a three-run double as the Rangers beat the Angels 5-2 despite Los Angeles starter Reid Detmers throwing an immaculate inning.
“I just made an adjustment and had the confidence in myself to be the best that I’ve always been and continue to do that,” Duran said through an interpreter.
Texas took three of four from the Angels and went 5-6 on its season-high, 11-game road trip despite being the first team in 43 years to have three immaculate innings thrown against them in a season.
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Detmers became the first pitcher in seven years with a no-hitter and an immaculate inning in the same season, achieving the latter during the second inning when he struck out Duran, Kole Calhoun and Charlie Culberson on nine pitches. It is the fourth immaculate inning in the majors this year and the 109th in baseball’s recorded history.
The Rangers got their first three aboard in the ninth on Leody Taveras’ base hit and Jose Quijada (0-3) issuing walks to Jonah Heim and Adolis Garcia. Duran then cleared the bases with a double to the right-center field gap off Raisel Iglesias.
Duran said he was looking for a pitch up and in, which he got on a changeup from Iglesias on the second pitch of the at-bat.
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“I think he’s blessed with that trait because that’s something I obviously envied as a player. Those guys no matter what happened and bad things were beforehand, he still believes he’s the best player on the planet,” Rangers manager Chris Woodward said. “He said he was going to go to right center and he did that.”
Shohei Ohtani and Brandon Marsh had two hits apiece for the Angels, who went 6-18 in July.
Brock Burke (5-2) came on in relief of starter Dane Dunning and pitched two scoreless innings. Jonathan Hernandez retired the side in the ninth for his first major league save.
Detmers went seven innings and struck out a career-high 12 while allowing two runs, one earned, on three hits.
Dunning gave up two runs on seven hits and struck out four in six innings.
The Rangers quickly got to Detmers with a run in the first on Nathaniel Lowe’s RBI base hit.
The Angels tied it in the home half of the frame on Luis Rengifo’s RBI single to plate Ohtani.
Los Angeles had the bases loaded with none out but could only get across one run on a sacrifice fly by Andrew Velazquez.
“When you load them up and nobody out, you want one especially early in the game, but you’re looking for that big inning,” Angels interim manager Phil Nevin said. “We had other opportunities and didn’t score.”
The Rangers evened it at 2 in the fifth. For the third time in the series, they took advantage of an Angels’ left fielder having problems playing balls hit into the corner when Charlie Culberson doubled down the line and took third when Marsh misplayed it. Culberson scored one batter later on Elier Hernandez’s sacrifice fly.
