ARLINGTON, Texas — 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.
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’ game against the Athletics later Thursday.
Texas has now won 22 games this season after allowing the opponent to score first.
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.
Rocker Settles In
Kumar Rocker overcame an early mistake to give the Rangers five solid innings.
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.
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.
His recent run has lowered his season ERA from 4.61 to 4.38.
Jung Powers Rangers Ahead
Josh Jung provided the biggest offensive blow of the afternoon.
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.
The performance gave Jung his 36th multi-hit game of the season, matching his career high set in 2023.
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.
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.
Seager Adds Insurance
Corey Seager added some breathing room in the sixth inning, launching a solo home run off Jefry Yan to make it 3-1.
The homer was Seager’s 19th of the season and ended an 0-for-15 stretch.
Seager has been especially productive during September, leading the Rangers with six home runs this month.
Bullpen Closes the Door
Once Rocker departed, Texas’ bullpen took care of the rest.
The Rangers’ relievers combined for four scoreless innings, allowing only one hit while issuing no walks and striking out three.
Jordan Montgomery handled the ninth, recording his second career save after a scoreless inning.
Mets Can’t Complete Sweep
New York won the first two games of the series but couldn’t finish the sweep.
The Mets managed only four hits and fell to 1-23 this season when collecting four or fewer hits.
Benge supplied New York’s 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.
New York will finish its season with a three-game series against the Washington Nationals.
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.
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