Texas Rangers’ Ron Washington satisfied with team’s comeback in Game 2 – MLB Update
Texas Rangers’ manager Ron Washington expressed immense happiness on winning Game 2 of the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday, October 20 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri and stated that the win has rekindled competition in the Fall Classic.
The Rangers were kept at bay by Jaime Garcia and company till the eighth inning, but a strategic play in the ninth inning allowed the visitors to first level the score and then take a one-run lead over the National League pennant winners.
Cardinals’ seasoned closer Jason Motte took the loss as he failed to save the game. Explaining the strategy, Washington said, “I had Elvis bunting, just trying to get the run over to second base and give the middle of the order a chance to at least get us a run and stay in the ballgame. But it all worked out. Kinsler steals second and then Elvis gets the big base hit and takes second base on the throw. Sets us up pretty good. Hamilton comes up and gets the sac fly and Michael fights for his at bat and gets us another sac fly.”
Washington added that Neftali Feliz’s perfect ninth was of equal importance to the win and now that the series is level at one-each, the Rangers are in with a chance to wrap the series at home. The series now shift to Rangers Ballpark for the next three games and Rangers’ owner Nolan Ryan believes that his team has the ability to bag the title till Game 6.
Ruling out pressure, Washington asserted that Rangers prefer playing nine innings and the players did not lose hope till the end. Earlier in the game, Allen Craig and David Freese combined to give the Cardinals a one-run lead in the seventh inning, after Colby Lewis had restricted them in the first six innings.
Before the series had begun, Washington quoted that the Rangers have a liking for National League-style of play and this game proved him right. Running hard, stealing bases and bunting were the things which were missing from the Cardinals’ line-up.
With the series now moving to Rangers ballpark in Arlington, it will be interesting to see how the Cardinals endure the American League-style of play.
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