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In last night's game against the Houston Astros, the Texas Rangers wound up winning in extra innings 8-4. This was thanks to a five-run 10th inning, but not after Astros third baseman Alex Bregman allegedly stole signs.
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"Extra! Extra! Rangers win!" - Texas Rangers
In the bottom of the 10th, the Texas Rangers decided to intentionally balk when Bregman was on second. This was to move Bregman from second to third as he was signaling pitch location to the batter at the plate.
"Rangers manager Chris Woodward opened the bottom of the 10th by having Jonathan Hernandez intentionally balk to move Alex Bregman from second base to third and prevent him from signaling pitch location." - Richard Justice
This started earlier in the series, when it appeared that Bregman was trying something similar with Rangers pitcher Martin Perez. However, Rangers manager Chris Woodward explained to multiple sources that this is not cheating.
When discussing the matter, Woodward said, "They’re really good at doing a lot of things." He then followed up by saying, "Just wanted to kind of avoid that. And that’s not cheating." Overall, he believes that signal intercepting is just a part of the game.
Sign-stealing, no matter how controversial, has been in the game of baseball since its inception. However, the method the Houston Astros used back in 2017 is considered illegal since they used an entire system. They also utilized illegal cameras throughout the stadium and had access to materials where other teams did not.
What Bregman did seemed very suspicious on the surface because he was one of the main players involved in the Houston Astros cheating scandal. The scandal is by far one of the biggest in recent MLB history, and likely will be for the years to come.
Regardless, the Texas Rangers have been disappointing this season. Although they signed multiple stars this past off-season, the playoffs do not seem to be in the picture.
Inside the Texas Rangers mediocre 2022 season
During the 2021 off-season, the Rangers signed shortstop Corey Seager and second basean Marcus Semien. Both are stars in the MLB who have received multiple All-Stars selections and seen top 10 MVP finishes in recent years.
Since 2015, Seager has a career batting average just shy of .300 and three All-Star appearances. He also won National League Rookie of the Year in 2016. He was named to his third All-Star Game this season after batting .254 with 20+ home runs before the All-Star break.
"Corey Seager is now an AL All-Star! He will replace OF George Springer on the roster." - MLB
Marcus Semien had one of the most impressive seasons for a second baseman in recent history last year. For the Toronto Blue Jays, Semien hit .265 with 46 home runs and 39 doubles. This placed him top three in American League MVP voting. He also won a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger Award. However, this season he is flopping, hitting .239 with an OPS under .700.
After these signings, the Rangers appeared to be almost playoff ready for this season. However, they still seem far away from the postseason. As the team matures, they will be fun to watch in the future.
