Smith's 1st walk-off HR gives Rangers 'something we really needed'

ARLINGTON -- In the Rangers' clubhouse on Monday afternoon, Josh Smith celebrated to himself as a friend from college, Swedish Olympian Armand “Mondo” Duplantis set a world record in the pole vault.

Just hours later, Smith celebrated himself and his team in one of the Rangers’ biggest wins this season.

In the 10th inning against the in-state, division-rival Astros, Smith launched his first career walk-off home run, propelling the Rangers to a 4-3 win over Houston to open the three-game set at Globe Life Field. Texas is now 6-1 in extra innings this year.

“I guess [I channeled a bit of Mondo],” Smith joked postgame. “Yeah, it's a good day for him and for me. But I just knew Corey [Seager] was behind me, so I knew they were probably going to try to attack me. So I grooved one down the middle.”

It was the first walk-off home run for the Rangers this season and fourth walk-off win overall. It was the Rangers’ first walk-off homer overall since Adolis García against the Twins at Globe Life Field on Sept. 3, 2023. It was also just the third walk-off homer for Texas against the Astros, as Smith joined García on May 21, 2021 and Mitch Moreland on June 21, 2011.

Smith said it was the first walk-off home run he’s hit in his entire life at any level of baseball.

“He picked a great time didn’t he?” said manager Bruce Bochy with a laugh.

The Rangers and Astros were in a tight ballgame all night long. Texas never even had a lead until Smith dealt the final blow.

Bochy called it a gutty win for a Rangers team that wasn’t exactly able to scratch and claw too many runs across the board. Seager tied the game, 2-2, with a solo homer in the bottom of the eighth inning, ultimately sending the game to extra innings and setting up Smith for the walk-off a few frames later.

Smith put the exclamation point on the night with an emphatic bat flip and more emotions running around the bases than many have ever seen from the mild-mannered 26-year-old.

“What an awesome swing,” Seager said. “A great AB. He took some good pitches and got the one he wanted and hit a homer. The excitement speaks for it all. That's how the team feels right now. It almost feels like a weight lifted off our shoulders. You get to exhale a little bit. You finally win a close game. It was a really cool swing out to him and something we really needed.”

Smith entered 2023 having hit just .191/.306/.287 in 163 games across his first two big league seasons. He will readily admit he probably made the Opening Day roster because of his defense, and his ability to play every position on the field if necessary. And it became necessary pretty early on, when All-Star third baseman Josh Jung landed on the injured list with a broken wrist just four games into the season.

Smith stepped in at third base and didn’t miss a beat while Jung recovered. And now with Jung back and healthy, Bochy can’t keep Smith out of the lineup. After all, he’s hitting .278 with an .811 OPS and has recently been moved to the leadoff spot.

He’s done everything the Rangers have asked of him and more.

“Not that we're where we want to be, but I hate to think of where we would be without him with the job he’s done all year,” Bochy said. “Now he's going to be our super-utility guy, play everywhere, DH, too, and I mean, what a terrific job he's done all year. And this is a game that wasn't going real well for him [0-for-4 entering the 10th], but here he gets one more at-bat and he took advantage of it.”

Of his career-high 12 homers this season, three have come against the Astros, with each occurring in the past two contests. All three of those have come in pivotal wins against Texas’ division rival.

Like Bochy said, the Rangers are far from where they want to be at this point in the season. But where would they even be without Smith’s contributions?

Seager just laughed and said: “Not in a good spot.”