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Wyatt Langford hits walk-off grand slam vs. Yankees

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•09/03/24•

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Wyatt Langford - © Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

There might not be a postseason ahead of the reigning World Series champions but they are still fighting. Especially rookie Wyatt Langford, who is experiencing his first season in the big leagues after being drafted out of Florida last summer. An addition the Texas Rangers hope would pay off and on Tuesday night, it certainly did.

Down one in the bottom of the ninth, Langford stepped up to the plate with the bases load. The New York Yankees had closer Clay Holmes on the mound, somebody who has been shaking over recent weeks. Langford found a way to work the count full before blasting one to left field.

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Really, there was no doubt about it, giving the Rangers a 7-4 win over the Yankees in walk-off fashion. It’s the franchise’s first walk-off grand slam since Game 2 of the American League Championship Series via Nelson Cruz.

You can check out the full moment from Langford here.

“He’s been there and come through a few times like that,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said postgame. “We had the right guy up there. He had good swings. It was all set up by some good at-bats before that. Wyatt, he just has a knack for getting a hit when we need it. In his young career, he’s got some big ones already.”

Tuesday night was the third walk-off moment from Langford, second in the Majors. Only Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos has more with four.

However, Castellanos is a veteran player who recently hit 10 years of service time in baseball. Langford just played in his 111th game of his big league career. The entire 2024 season may have not gone to plan for the young hitter but taking center stage in these moments certainly helps.

“This is part of his growth,” Bochy said. “You can tell he likes to be up there in that situation.”

Langford was hitting .244 heading into the game with an OPS of .691, just below league average. The home run numbers were lower than what Texas hoped for heading into the season but the walk-off grand slam got Langford up to double digits. RBIs now sit at 60 as he heats up in the month of September.

As mentioned, the Rangers are highly unlikely to be in the playoffs this season. But the development of Langford is something folks in Texas will be looking for heading into the 2025 season.