'I'm the man!' García's 3-run HR leads to win

ARLINGTON -- As his bat made contact with the ball, Adolis García knew it was gone. He yelled back to the dugout, strutting down the first base line, screaming, “I’m the man!” and stomping on home plate after he rounded the bases.

Who else would come up in a big situation for the Rangers but García? The rookie broke through with a walk-off three-run homer in the bottom of the 10th inning, propelling Texas to 7-5 victory over the Astros at Globe Life Field Friday night.

“It is just a lot of my energy,” García said through a translator about his celebration. “I want to release that energy at home plate and it's just a lot of pride and the energy I have to let go. I knew that it was gone [off the bat] and I was letting the dugout know I was ready to step up in that situation.”

The win was the Rangers’ first of the Lone Star Series in 2021 after a four-game sweep in Houston last week. This is the second time the two teams have gone to extra innings this season.

García was 2-for-5 on the night, including a two-run double in the fourth inning. He is the first Rangers rookie with a walk-off home run since Jurickson Profar on Sept. 26, 2013, against the Angels.

García has a knack for coming up big. Of his 12 home runs -- which is tied for fourth in MLB after Friday -- five have been go-ahead shots. His 35 RBIs are good for sixth in all of baseball.

Manager Chris Woodward called García the “greatest hitter on the planet” as he plows through the month of May with a slash line of .333/.375/.640, a 1.105 OPS and 21 RBIs.

“He doesn't get fazed by [anything],” Woodward said of García’s approach. “He kind of nods his head like, 'OK, I gotcha.' There's a reason why he's having success. Obviously, from a swing standpoint and from a talent standpoint, but I think from a mental standpoint this guy is just like, ‘I'm just gonna stay in the moment.’ He does everything we preach.

“This guy's got a humble nature, but he’s a savage competitor on the field is. It’s unique. It's hard to find guys like that, that have both of those things.”

Rangers pitcher Kyle Gibson was actually back in the clubhouse when García hit the home run. Because they were watching on TV, it was tape delayed and they heard the roar of the crowd and fireworks go off before witnessing the home run itself.

Gibson added that García reminds him of Torii Hunter, who was his teammate in Minnesota, because of the energy and passion he plays the game with.

“Adolis is up there,” Gibson said. “He’s a guy whose confidence level is always sky high, regardless of a strikeout or an out at the plate, whatever it is. He's a lot of fun to watch as a teammate, I can tell you that.”

It was an all-round improvement for the Rangers Friday night. The offense finally woke up.

After an offensive slump in a four-game series against the Yankees, which included Texas being no-hit on Wednesday and shut out on Thursday, the Rangers scored in the third inning against the Astros. Brock Holt’s solo home run in the third snapped the Rangers’ scoreless streak at 24 1/3 innings in his first at-bat since coming off the injured list. It was Holt’s first home run of the season and first in a Rangers’ uniform.

Woodward said he felt like the entire team was more aggressive in every aspect of the game against the Astros, highlighted by two stolen bases from shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

“That's why I'm probably more proud of our guys,” Woodward said. “That's the style of play that we’ve got to have, regardless of how good or bad we are. When we're a great team, that's how we're going to play. That's how we're going to beat people consistently. That has to be our style of play and you know it is right now.”