The Rangers did not let the Mets’ first-inning lead linger. New York scored when Francisco Lindor doubled and Carson Benge followed with an RBI single, but Texas answered before the inning was over: Justin Foscue singled, Josh Jung launched a two-run homer, and the Rangers had a 2-1 lead in Thursday’s 3-1 victory.
The clubs’ first turns at bat produced a lead Texas would hold for the rest of the afternoon. Texas absorbed New York’s first punch, returned one immediately and then leaned on its pitching to make the narrow lead endure. The Rangers did not pile up runs; they made the first response count.
The answer came in three batters
Foscue’s single was a modest hit with an outsized consequence. Foscue was already at first when Corey Seager struck out. Jung then drove the next Texas hit over the left-field wall. One swing brought home both the tying and go-ahead runs, with Foscue scoring ahead of Jung.
Jung kept occupying the center of the afternoon. He finished 3-for-3 with a walk, a double, a single and seven total bases, reaching in all four plate appearances. That line deserves credit on its own, but the timing made it especially valuable.
The Rangers had just watched the Mets take the lead. Jung sent Rocker back to the mound with a lead rather than a deficit.
The Mets had several chances to make that answer temporary. In the third inning, Nick Morabito doubled and Lindor struck out. Texas intentionally walked Juan Soto, putting another dangerous hitter on base, but Kumar Rocker escaped when Bo Bichette grounded into a double play. Foscue, Seager and Jake Burger completed the sequence, removing both the runner and the batter.
That was the kind of threat the final score can flatten. New York had an extra-base hit and Soto on base, yet the inning produced nothing. Rocker’s four strikeouts were useful, but the double play was the larger piece of damage control in that moment.
Rocker’s job was not spotless, either. He allowed three hits and two walks over five innings, giving the Mets enough traffic to keep the game uncomfortable. In the fourth, Marcus Semien walked with two outs after Carson Benge and Brett Baty had been retired, then was caught stealing.
In the fifth, Rocker retired A.J. Ewing and Luis Torrens on groundouts before an overturned pitch call ended Morabito’s plate appearance with a strikeout.
The three hits and two walks gave New York opportunities against Rocker. Only Benge’s first-inning single brought a runner home, and Texas still led when the bullpen took over.
