Texas rookie Wyatt Langford became the first player in the major leagues this season to hit for the cycle, leading the Rangers to an 11-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday night, ending a six-game losing streak.
Derek Hill contributed two home runs, while Andrew Heaney (3-9) struck out 10 batters over seven innings for the Rangers, who had dropped the first three games of the series and were struggling at nine games under .500. The defending World Series champions took control early and never relinquished the lead, scoring multiple runs in the second, fourth, fifth, and eighth innings.
Langford’s impressive feat included a triple in the fourth inning, a double in the fifth, and a single in the sixth. The 22-year-old outfielder capped off his remarkable night with a three-run homer down the left-field line in the eighth inning, pushing the score to 11-2.
This game marked Langford’s first career four-hit performance. Drafted last year as the No. 4 overall pick by the Rangers, he quickly ascended to the majors and secured a spot on Texas’ opening-day roster this season.
On the Orioles’ side, Cole Irvin (6-5) struggled, allowing five runs over 3 2/3 innings. Despite a strong start to the season, Irvin has now failed to complete five innings in his last three starts, contributing to the challenges faced by a Baltimore pitching staff that has been depleted by season-ending injuries to Kyle Bradish, John Means, and Tyler Wells.
Hill got Texas on the board early with a two-run homer in the second inning. Baltimore responded with Ryan O’Hearn’s RBI single, but the Rangers extended their lead in the fourth inning with RBI singles from Nathaniel Lowe, Andrew Knizner, and Josh Smith.
The Orioles closed the gap to 5-2 with Heston Kjerstad’s RBI double, but Texas quickly widened the margin again. Langford’s double drove in another run, followed by RBI singles from Lowe and another homer from Hill to seal the Rangers’ convincing victory.