Jacob deGrom delivered a gritty performance through groin tightness, striking out eight over five innings, and the Texas Rangers held off the Boston Red Sox 4-2 on Tuesday night in a critical series opener between playoff contenders at Globe Life Field .
The Rangers (75-76) remained within one game of AL West-leading Houston and moved ahead of Toronto for the first spot below the AL wild-card cutline, staying 1 1/2 games behind Cleveland for the third wild-card berth . Boston (82-69) sits second in the wild-card race, 5 1/2 games ahead of the Guardians, with its magic number to clinch a playoff spot holding at five .
Texas broke through against Red Sox left-hander Patrick Sandoval in a 44-pitch second inning that unraveled after a promising start. Sandoval struck out the first four batters he faced before Elias Díaz lined a two-run double into the left-field corner with two outs . After consecutive walks loaded the bases, Corey Seager lifted a high popup that tipped off the extended glove of shortstop Trevor Story in short left field, allowing two more runs to score and extending the Texas lead to 4-0 .
Sandoval (1-6) was lifted after 2 2/3 innings, having surrendered four runs on four hits with five strikeouts and two walks . The 29-year-old left-hander entered the night with a 6.12 ERA over his previous five starts, and the extended second inning pushed his pitch count to 68 before his removal .
Boston answered in the third when No. 9 batter Nick Sogard lined a two-run homer over the right-field wall off deGrom, cutting the deficit to 4-2 . It was Sogard's fifth home run of the season, all of which have come since Aug. 19 after he had never homered in his first three major league seasons .
The Red Sox had chances to draw even, loading the bases without a hit in both the fifth and eighth innings but failing to score each time . In the fifth, a hit batter, catcher's interference and a two-out walk set the stage for Adley Rutschman, who grounded out to shortstop to end the threat . The eighth inning brought another bases-loaded opportunity, but Texas closer Jacob Latz struck out pinch-hitter Andruw Monasterio on a full-count pitch to preserve the lead . Boston finished 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine men on base .
Latz recorded the final five outs for his 30th save in 33 chances, closing out a bullpen effort that limited Boston to two hits over the final four innings . DeGrom (11-9) needed 92 pitches to navigate his five frames, allowing two runs on three hits and one walk .
The 38-year-old right-hander, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, has been pitching through mild groin tightness that he first felt while covering first base in his previous start at Seattle, where he struck out 12 in six scoreless innings of one-hit ball . DeGrom said the tightness recurred on a fastball in the second inning Tuesday but did not worsen, and he expects to make his next scheduled start .
Why this matters
The Rangers' decision to hold onto deGrom at the trade deadline has become a defining storyline of their late-season push. Despite a full no-trade clause and inquiries from contending teams, the veteran right-hander told the organization he wanted to stay and believed Texas could reach the playoffs . Texas has not reached the postseason since winning the 2023 World Series in deGrom's first season after signing a $185 million contract, and his willingness to pitch through discomfort at age 38 has set a tone for a club fighting to keep its October hopes alive .
Meanwhile, Boston remains comfortably positioned in the wild-card standings but missed an opportunity to reduce its magic number further. The Red Sox will send rookie left-hander Jake Bennett (9-7, 3.69 ERA) to the mound Wednesday night against Rangers left-hander MacKenzie Gore (8-11, 4.62), who is set to match the MLB lead with his 32nd start .
