ARLINGTON — The Rangers stayed hot and made a statement Friday night, walking off the Astros 4-3 in 12 innings at Globe Life Field. Rookie Dustin Harris, called up earlier in the day, delivered the game-winner with a single down the right-field line — giving Texas its ninth walk-off win of the season and pulling the club within four games of first in the AL West.
Jake Burger crushed a 439-foot, two-run homer in the third — the longest by a Ranger at home this season — and Ezequiel Duran added three hits. The Rangers overcame a 1-0 deficit and have now won 7 of 9 and 12 of their last 18, pulling within 0.5 games of the Mariners for the final AL Wild Card spot.
Starter Merrill Kelly went 7.0 strong innings, allowing one run with seven strikeouts. He’s posted a 2.98 ERA over seven starts since joining Texas at the trade deadline.
The win improved Texas to 9-5 in extra innings, with six straight victories in games going past the ninth — their longest such streak since 2010. Houston fell to 3-5 in the Silver Boot Series and suffered its eighth walk-off loss of the year.
Game 2 of the series is Saturday night in Arlington.
