ARLINGTON, Texas \u2014 The Texas Rangers closed out their 2026 home schedule on a high note Thursday, overcoming an early deficit to defeat the New York Mets 3-1 at Globe Life Field.<\/p>\n
The victory moved Texas to 79-80 on the season and temporarily put the Rangers a half-game ahead of Houston for first place in the American League West, pending the Astros\u2019 game against the Athletics later Thursday.<\/p>\n
Texas has now won 22 games this season after allowing the opponent to score first.<\/p>\n
The Rangers also finished their home schedule 45-36, giving them their third-highest home win total during the Globe Life Field era, trailing only the 50 victories in 2023 and 48 in 2025.<\/p>\n
Rocker Settles In<\/p>\n
Kumar Rocker overcame an early mistake to give the Rangers five solid innings.<\/p>\n
The right-hander allowed one run on three hits while striking out four and walking two over 74 pitches. The Mets scored in the first when Carson Benge delivered a two-out RBI single, but Rocker limited New York to just one hit over the remainder of his outing.<\/p>\n
Rocker has been particularly effective over his last three starts. Since Sept. 12, he is 1-0 with a 2.03 ERA and 1.05 WHIP across 13 1\/3 innings, helping Texas win all three games.<\/p>\n
His recent run has lowered his season ERA from 4.61 to 4.38.<\/p>\n
Jung Powers Rangers Ahead<\/p>\n
Josh Jung provided the biggest offensive blow of the afternoon.<\/p>\n
Jung went 3-for-3 with a home run, double and walk, falling a triple short of the cycle. His 12th homer of the season came in the first inning and gave Texas a 2-1 lead.<\/p>\n
The performance gave Jung his 36th multi-hit game of the season, matching his career high set in 2023.<\/p>\n
Despite missing 47 games with injury, Jung has made his home-run production count. Eight of his 12 homers this season have given the Rangers the lead.<\/p>\n
Jung has also been particularly productive against left-handed pitching, hitting .366 with a .448 on-base percentage and .545 slugging percentage against lefties this season.<\/p>\n
Seager Adds Insurance<\/p>\n
Corey Seager added some breathing room in the sixth inning, launching a solo home run off Jefry Yan to make it 3-1.<\/p>\n
The homer was Seager\u2019s 19th of the season and ended an 0-for-15 stretch.<\/p>\n
Seager has been especially productive during September, leading the Rangers with six home runs this month.<\/p>\n
Bullpen Closes the Door<\/p>\n
Once Rocker departed, Texas\u2019 bullpen took care of the rest.<\/p>\n
The Rangers\u2019 relievers combined for four scoreless innings, allowing only one hit while issuing no walks and striking out three.<\/p>\n
Jordan Montgomery handled the ninth, recording his second career save after a scoreless inning.<\/p>\n
Mets Can\u2019t Complete Sweep<\/p>\n
New York won the first two games of the series but couldn\u2019t finish the sweep.<\/p>\n
The Mets managed only four hits and fell to 1-23 this season when collecting four or fewer hits.<\/p>\n
Benge supplied New York\u2019s only run with his first-inning RBI single. The rookie now has 63 RBIs this season, tied for sixth-most by a Mets rookie in franchise history.<\/p>\n
New York will finish its season with a three-game series against the Washington Nationals.<\/p>\n
For Texas, the focus now shifts to the final series of the regular season with the Rangers still within striking distance of .500 and the AL West race remaining unsettled.<\/p>\n
Would you like this tightened into a shorter AP-style game story with a sharper lede and fewer statistics?<\/p>\n
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