A Deeper, Darker Hole: New York Mets Hand Texas Rangers Most Embarrassing Loss Of 2024
In a series-opening blowout on Monday night, the New York Mets tagged the Texas Rangers with 22 hits, the most allowed since 2017.
Monday night the Texas Rangers were walking around in total darkness, if the saying is correct. The New York Mets gave the Rangers pitchers a season-high 22 hits, giving the reigning World Series champions a smack in the mouth. This marks the highest number of hits the Rangers have given up since the Miami Marlins recorded 22 at Globe Life Park on July 26, 20217.
It was a night of awkward imbalance. The sole offense for Texas, which lost for the fourth straight game, came from a two-run home run by Robbie Grossman in the third inning. The Rangers finished with six hits, including two by Grossman. Jon Gray was relieved in the fourth inning with the Mets losing 9-2. In the first two innings, the Mets had nine hits, including a three-run home run by DJ Stewart.
Following two of the Rangers’ most humiliating losses of the season last week, Monday’s crushing came as a shock. Tuesday, the Dodgers crushed the Rangers 15-2 before the team came back to win two tough games at Dodger Stadium. But they lost a three-game series against the Mariners in Seattle the following weekend.
Nine games behind the Seattle Mariners in the AL West, the Rangers’ defeat knocks them into a tie with the Houston Astros for second place.
In three plus innings, Jon Gray gave up a career-high nine runs on a career-high eleven hits. After the Mets used three singles to score a run in the first inning, things didn’t get better. Before DJ Stewart’s three-run home run made it 7-0 in the second, the Mets singled five more times. Bruce Bochy was satisfied with Brandon Nimmo’s two-run home run in the fourth inning despite Gray’s 1-2-3 third.