ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers flexed their power early Sunday afternoon, launching four home runs in the first three innings to defeat the Seattle Mariners 7-3 at Globe Life Field and claim three of four games in the wraparound series.
The victory capped a 4-3 homestand for Texas, which improved to 54-52 on the season while securing its first season-series win over Seattle since 2023. The Rangers also earned their first series victory since the All-Star break and moved to 17-16-1 in series play this season.
Texas wasted little time setting the tone offensively.
Joc Pederson opened the game with a leadoff home run before adding a three-run blast in the second inning, giving the Rangers an early cushion. Ezequiel Duran followed with a towering solo shot in the third before Jake Burger capped the power surge with a two-run homer later in the inning.
The Rangers matched a season high with four home runs, tying the mark they set against Cleveland on June 7. They also finished with seven extra-base hits, equaling their highest total in a game this season.
Pederson delivered one of his best performances of the year, finishing 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs. It marked his second multi-homer game of the season and the 22nd of his major league career.
His leadoff blast was already his sixth to begin a game this season, tying him for the American League lead. His second homer, a high-arcing drive with a 49-degree launch angle, became the highest-launch-angle home run ever recorded at Globe Life Field and remained in the air for more than seven seconds.
The veteran slugger has been one of baseball’s hottest hitters, extending his hitting streak to eight games. During that stretch, he’s batting .419 with four home runs and eight RBIs while collecting extra-base hits in seven of those contests. Pederson has now belted 10 home runs over his last 22 games and shares the Rangers’ team lead with 19 home runs.
Kumar Rocker continued his recent turnaround on the mound, earning his fourth victory after allowing two runs over 6 2/3 innings. The right-hander scattered four hits, walked two and struck out seven while throwing 88 pitches.
After surrendering a solo homer to Randy Arozarena in the opening inning and a sacrifice fly in the third, Rocker settled into a groove. He retired 11 of the final 13 batters he faced before exiting in the seventh inning, recording back-to-back quality starts for the second time in his career.
Over two starts during the homestand, Rocker went 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA, allowing just two earned runs while striking out 13. His season ERA dropped to 4.03.
Duran also stayed hot at the plate, finishing 2-for-4 with his 12th home run of the season. His 436-foot drive was his longest homer of the year and extended his hitting streak to seven games. He has now homered six times over his last 17 contests.
Burger’s third-inning two-run homer was his 19th of the season, pulling him even with Pederson for the team lead. He has gone deep in two games during the series and has reached base safely in eight consecutive contests.
Seattle briefly answered with Arozarena’s solo homer in the first, his second straight game with a home run, but the Mariners never recovered from Texas’ early offensive outburst.
Mariners starter George Kirby absorbed the loss after allowing seven earned runs on seven hits over four innings. It was his shortest outing of the season and the first time he had surrendered four home runs in a game this year.
Brandon Nimmo contributed two doubles for Texas, giving him 25 on the season to move into a tie for the American League lead, while Evan Carter added two hits, including a double, and stole a base.
The win also marked a milestone for Rangers manager Skip Schumaker, who collected the 200th managerial victory of his career.
