DARVISH FANS 16, RANGERS OUTLAST ASTROS IN EXTRAS

Soto Homers Twice, Including Game-Winner

 

HOUSTON, Aug. 9 (AP) – In one of the wildest games of the 2014 season to date, Yu Darvish fanned a major league season high 16 batters, but settled for a no-decision as the Texas Rangers slipped past the Houston Astros 6-4 in 16 innings at Minute Maid Park.  Rangers catcher Geovany Soto, making just his fifth start of the year belted a pair of home runs, including the game-winning blast in the top of the 16th.  In all, the Astros struck out an incredible 27 times in the game—by far the highest total in a big league contest of any length this year—including 20 times in the first nine innings—also a first time event in a major league game this season.  Jason Castro and Chris Carter fanned five times apiece, tying the major league season high, and marking the first time this year that two players have fanned so many times in the same contest.

 

The game itself was close and hard-fought throughout.  The Astros took the lead in the bottom of the first when Robbie Grossman led off with a home run off Darvish, Grossman’s first long ball of the season.  Houston made it 2-0 in the third when Grossman singled with one out, advanced to third two batter’s later on Carter’s base hit, and scored when Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus booted Marc Krauss’ ground ball for the first of the game’s six errors. 

 

Texas pulled to within a run in the top of the sixth on Adrian Beltre’s one-out solo homer—his 22nd long ball of the season—off Astros starter Scott Feldman.  But Houston regained the two-run advantage in the bottom half of the frame on Marwin Gonzalez’s two-out solo blast off Darvish.

 

The Rangers pulled back to within a run on Roughned Odor’s solo shot in the top of the seventh and the score remained 3-2 into the ninth when Soto belted a dramatic solo home run into the Crawford Boxes in left with two outs off reliever Chad Qualls to tie the game.

 

In the top of the 10th, Tony Sipp pitched around a one-out double off the bat of Beltre to keep the game tied and in the bottom of the inning Phil Klein pitched out of a two-out bases loaded jam by retiring Matt Dominguez on a grounder to short.

 

The Astros blew a great chance to win the game in the 11th when Gonzlalez led off with a double against Neal Cotts and was sacrificed to third by Jake Marisnick.  Gregorio Petit walked, putting runners on the corners, and the Rangers brought the infield in.  Grossman grounded to short and Andrus cut down Gonzalez at the plate for the second out.  Cotts then retired Castro on a fly ball to end the threat.

 

Things remained relatively quiet until the top of the 15th when Texas finally broke the tie.  Dan Robertson led off with a single off Jake Buchanan and promptly stole second.  After Adam Rosales struck out, Alex Rios singled through the middle, scoring Robertson to make it 4-3. 

 

But the Astros tied the game back up in the bottom half of the inning.  Jose Altuve led off by drawing a free pass from Neftali Feliz and, after Dominguez popped out, Gonzalez walked to put runners on first and second.  Marisnick fanned for the second out but Petit came through with a base hit to left, scoring Altuve to knot the score at four.  Grossman drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases but Feliz fanned Castro to extend the game into the 16th.

 

Soto drew all the air out of the ballpark by belting a lead-off home run off the wall behind the Crawford Boxes to make it 5-4.  Odor followed with a double to left and, one out later, scored when Altuve air-mailed a throw to first on Odor’s grounder.  It was now 6-4 and Feliz pitched around a one-out Krauss double, striking out Dominguez to end the game.

 

Darvish easily eclipsed the previous high mark for strikeouts—14, held by five different pitchers—by fanning 16 in eight innings, including 11 in the first four frames.  The Rangers bullpen combined to fan 11 in seven innings of work.  The previous high mark for strikeouts in a game was 21, set by the Minnesota Twins pitching staff against the Tampa Bay Rays on July 19 at Target Field.

 

 

8/9/2014, Tex14-Hou14, Minute Maid Park

 

                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12

2014 Rangers           0  0  0  0  0  1  1  0  1  0  0  0

2014 Astros            1  0  1  0  0  1  0  0  0  0  0  0

 

                      13 14 15 16     R  H  E   LOB DP

2014 Rangers           0  0  1  2     6 17  2    13  1

2014 Astros            0  0  1  0     4 12  4    17  1

 

Rangers              AB  R  H BI   AVG    Astros               AB  R  H BI   AVG

Choo              dh  7  0  2  0  .229    Grossman          rf  6  2  2  1  .263

Andrus            ss  8  0  0  0  .242    Castro,J          c   7  0  0  0  .197

Carp              lf  4  0  1  0  .220    Carter            dh  8  0  1  0  .249

 Robertson,Dan    ph  4  1  2  0  .214    Krauss            lf  8  0  3  0  .176

Beltre            3b  4  1  2  1  .323    Singleton         1b  3  0  0  0  .160

 Rosales          pr  3  0  0  0  .283     Altuve           ph  2  1  1  0  .359

Adduci            rf  4  0  0  0  .155    Dominguez,M       3b  8  0  0  0  .218

 Rios             ph  3  0  1  1  .273    Gonzalez,Ma       ss  6  1  2  1  .263

Arencibia         1b  7  0  1  0  .115    Marisnick         cf  6  0  1  0  .269

Martin,L          cf  7  0  1  0  .269    Petit,G           2b  6  0  2  1  .406

Soto,G            c   7  2  3  2  .238                         60  4 12  3

Odor              2b  6  2  4  1  .294

                     64  6 17  5

 

Rangers                          INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA

Darvish                          7.0  6  3  2  2 16 109  71  3.73

Tolleson,Sh                      1.0  1  0  0  0  2  20  15  3.06

Klein                            2.0  1  0  0  1  2  29  17  0.00

Cotts                            1.0  1  0  0  1  0  11   7  2.32

Mendez                           2.0  1  0  0  1  2  22  14  0.52

Feliz            W 1-0           3.0  2  1  1  3  5  54  31  2.12

                                16.0 12  4  3  8 27 245 155

 

Astros                           INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA

Feldman                          8.0  7  2  2  2  4  98  64  4.84

Qualls           BS 6            1.0  3  1  1  0  2  24  19  4.24

Sipp                             1.2  1  0  0  0  2  24  16  3.12

Foltynewicz                      2.1  1  0  0  0  1  20  18  6.43

Fields                           1.0  1  0  0  0  0  14  11  2.23

Buchanan,J       L 1-2           2.0  4  3  2  0  3  42  27  3.33

                                16.0 17  6  5  2 12 222 155

 

Tex: Robertson,Dan batted for Carp in the 10th

     Rosales ran for Beltre in the 10th

     Rios batted for Adduci in the 10th

     Robertson,Dan moved to lf in the 10th

     Rosales moved to 3b in the 10th

     Rios moved to rf in the 10th

Hou: Altuve batted for Singleton in the 8th

     Krauss moved to 1b in the 9th

     Altuve moved to 2b in the 9th

     Gonzalez,Ma moved to lf in the 9th

     Petit,G moved to ss in the 9th

 

E-Andrus, Rosales, Dominguez,M, Marisnick, Petit,G, Altuve. 2B-Beltre(26),

Soto,G(1), Odor(13), Krauss 2(5), Gonzalez,Ma(9). HR-Beltre(22), Soto,G 2(2),

Odor(4), Grossman(1), Gonzalez,Ma(3). RBI-Beltre(80), Soto,G 2(3), Odor(24),

Rios(38), Grossman(18), Gonzalez,Ma(18), Petit,G(5). SB-Robertson,Dan(2),

Altuve 2(38). CS-Martin,L, Odor. K-Choo 2, Andrus 3, Carp, Beltre,

Arencibia 2, Soto,G, Rosales, Rios, Castro,J 5, Carter 5, Singleton 3,

Dominguez,M 4, Gonzalez,Ma 2, Marisnick 4, Petit,G 4. BB-Choo, Beltre,

Grossman 2, Castro,J, Gonzalez,Ma, Petit,G, Altuve 3. SH-Marisnick. HBP-Odor.

HB-Sipp. WP-Feldman.

GWRBI: Soto,G

Temperature: 70, Wind: none.

Attendance: 41,017

Game Time: 4:45