Corey Seager had already found the warning track in left and the warning track in center when the Texas Rangers needed the ball to leave the yard.
In the fifth inning Thursday night at Globe Life Field, after Ezequiel Durán's flare to right scored Logan O'Hoppe, Seager drove a two-run homer to right-center and turned a one-run lead into a 4-0 cushion. The Associated Press noted the earlier near-misses; ESPN measured the home run at 403 feet.
ESPN's box score lists it as Seager's 14th of the season, while CBS Sports' gametracker lists it as his 13th. Cal Quantrill and two relievers made the cushion hold in a 6-0 shutout of the Tampa Bay Rays.
The middle of the order finally broke through
Seager finished 1-for-4 with two RBIs. ESPN's box matches that line and puts his slash at .223/.323/.412 after the night. Durán, who had singled and later stole a base, scored ahead of him.
Wyatt Langford had already doubled and scored in the fourth on Justin Foscue's single, so Seager's swing was the third consecutive half-inning in which Texas manufactured or blasted a run against Shane McClanahan.
The Rays entered with the American League's best record at 83-57 and left with three hits, matching a season low, the AP reported. McClanahan (10-7) allowed four runs in five innings and has not completed six innings since July 8. Texas added two more in the eighth when Evan Carter tripled home Langford and Jake Burger lifted a sacrifice fly.
Quantrill made the homer decisive
Quantrill (7-5) worked seven innings with two hits, two walks, and five strikeouts. The AP credited him with a 1.25 ERA over eight outings since July 28 at Tampa Bay and a 1.77 ERA in seven career starts against the Rays. Jakob Junis and Chase Silseth closed a combined three-hitter - Texas' 13th shutout of the year.
