ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jose Iglesias' fourth hit was a tiebreaking RBI single in the 10th inning and the Colorado Rockies won a game-ending replay challenge to beat Texas 6-4 Monday, spoiling the Rangers' home opener.
After Texas pinch-hitter Willie Calhoun hit a tying home run with two outs in the ninth, Iglesias put Colorado ahead in the 10th and
Mitch Garver walked with one out in the Rangers 10th, then was forced out sliding into the bag as second baseman Brendan Rodgers' relay throw was wide of first — allowing Marcus Semien to score from second and Adolis Garcia to move up a base.
But Rockies manager Bud Black then challenged the play, and after a lengthy review, it was determined that Garver's slide interfered with the fielder. Garcia also was ruled out, ending the game.
C.J. Cron led off the Rockies ninth with a 451-foot homer over the bullpen in left field to put them up 4-3.
Calhoun homered off Daniel Bard (1-0). Ashton Goudeau worked the bottom of the 10th for his first save.
New Rangers shortstop Corey Seager, a two-time All-Star, threw out a runner at the plate in the first inning, but also
came off reliever Joe Barlow, who had just entered the game. Cron had an RBI triple earlier in the game.
The Rangers played their 51st home opener in Texas, and third in the retractable roof stadium which debuted without fans in the COVID-delayed and shortened season in 2020. The first regular-season game played there was a 1-0 win by Texas over Colorado on July 24, 2020.
With an announced crowd was 35,052 in the stadium with a listed capacity of 40,518, it was the first time since 1996 the Rangers home opener wasn't a sellout.
Texas took a 3-1 lead in the fifth when Garcia hit a tiebreaking, two-run single that scored Charlie Culberson and Seager.
The Rockies got unearned runs in the seventh on third baseman Culberson's fielding error, and in the eighth on Seager's throwing error wide of first when trying to turn an ending-inning double play.
Seager has hits in all four games he has played for the Rangers, who signed him to a $325 million, 10-year contract on December 1 before MLB’s 99-day lockout.
Joe led off the game with a single and was tried to score on Kris Bryant’s one-out double to the left-center gap. Left fielder Nick Solak made a strong throw to Seager, whose one-hop relay to new Garver was in plenty of time.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rockies: A ball struck catcher Elias Díaz in the fourth inning when Nathaniel Lowe fouled off a pitch with a runner taking off from first base. A Rockies trainer came out to check on Díaz, who remained in the game.
UP NEXT
A matchup of starters in their season debuts with new teams, though Texas left-hander Martin Perez is back with his original big league team. Right-hander Chad Kuhl starts for Colorado after pitching in 100 games (84 starts) his first five big league seasons with Pittsburgh. Perez played his first seven MLB seasons with the Rangers, then left in free agency for Minnesota for the 2019 season and pitched for Boston the past two years.
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