SAN ANTONIO — The box score will show Texas Rangers rookie Josh Jung went hitless in his postseason debut Tuesday afternoon, but the 25-year-old San Antonio native had a big-enough swing to get the scoring started in the second inning against Tampa Bay.
With runners on the corners and one out in the top of the second inning, the third baseman, batting eighth, launched a high fly ball to right field that was deep enough to score Nathaniel Lowe—the first run of the 2023 playoffs.
It turns out that's all the offense Texas would need. In their first postseason appearance since 2016, the Rangers blanked the Rays, 4-0, thanks in large part to some sterling defense and seven shutout innings from starter Jordan Montgomery. Texas has to win just one of the next two games in the best-of-three Wild Card round to advance for a potential matchup with the top-seeded Baltimore Orioles.
Jung, who attended MacArthur High School in San Antonio, was drafted by Texas in the first round of the 2019 MLB Draft. After appearing in 26 games for Texas last year, he followed up with an explosive 2023, notching AL Rookie of the Month honors in April and becoming the first rookie in franchise history to start the All-Star Game a few months later.
Jung went on to finish with 28 home runs, 29 doubles, 84 runs, 147 hits and 84 RBI in his first full major-league season—all top-5 for AL rookies this year.
Game 2 between Texas and Tampa Bay is scheduled for 2:08 p.m. CT on Wednesday.
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