'What an opener': Heim gets redemption with walk-off winner

ARLINGTON -- Opening Day is already filled with the pomp and circumstance of the beginning of a new baseball season. When you’re the reigning World Series champs, the vibes are even more electric, from the gold-trimmed jerseys and hats, to the banner dropping, to the upcoming ring ceremony on Saturday.

About 30 minutes before first pitch at Globe Life Field on Thursday night, in front of a sold-out crowd of 42,130, manager Bruce Bochy and reliever Josh Sborz -- who threw the final pitch of the 2023 World Series to close it out -- walked the Commissioner’s Trophy from the Rangers’ dugout to its place behind home plate for the festivities.

“It's such a cool moment,” Bochy said pregame. “There's a lot of pride involved. Talking to players, I told them to take this and savor it. Yeah, we’ve got to get ready for the game, but it's a special time. Not just tonight, but our next game when they get the rings. They should really soak it in and because it's so hard to do and when that banner goes up, it's going to be pretty special. Not just for us. I'll be thinking of the fans, because I know they've waited a long time. So it's one of those good memories that comes with winning a World Series.”

The night of celebration was capped off with a bases-loaded RBI single from catcher Jonah Heim in the 10th inning to walk off the Cubs, 4-3. The big hit came one inning after Heim made a mental error that allowed the Cubs to take the lead heading into the bottom of the ninth. Heim didn't hustle after a wild pitch by José Leclerc on a swinging strike that Heim thought was a foul tip, and the hesitation allowed Michael Busch to score from second base.

Home plate umpire Chad Fairchild said in a postgame pool report that he sticks with what he called on the field, which was a swinging strike, though TV replays appeared to show it was foul tipped.

“This game is all about putting a little adversity behind you and your mistakes,” Bochy said. “I don't want guys dwelling on that. I said, ‘Hey, it's over. You can't do anything about it, let's move on.’ And he did that. You can't get a bigger hit than that, so good for him. I know he felt terrible, but know what, you learn from it. … What an opener. A very exciting game.”

Heim, who got to the ballpark early with catchers coach Bobby Wilson to soak in the final moments before the Rangers' title defense, recognized his mistake. And while he believes the ball was foul tipped, he reiterated that a play like that can't happen from his end. He took full responsibility for not sticking with the play all the way through.

He was more than thankful for the opportunity to make up for it.

“We had a lot of great at-bats in the 10th inning and they gave me an opportunity,” Heim said. “Anytime you win a game in the big leagues, it's a good day. When you feel like you kind of let your team down there and then you get a chance to win the game, it's even better. Like I said, don't get that opportunity without the guys in front of me, so a good team win.”

The Rangers didn’t have the lead at any point prior in the game, though they tied it on two occasions.

Adolis García, the Rangers’ postseason hero who was named the ALCS MVP after a legendary performance against the Astros, launched a game-tying solo homer in the sixth inning. Then Travis Jankowski, who replaced García for the final two games of the World Series after an injury, launched a pinch-hit, game-tying solo shot of his own in the ninth.

Nathan Eovaldi, who started Game 5 of the World Series, turned over a quality start, tossing six innings and allowing just two runs. There was consistently traffic on the basepaths, with four hits and a walk, but the Rangers’ ace did what he does best and limited the damage each and every time. In the second and fifth innings, he induced inning-ending double plays and consistently got out of jams even without his best stuff.

Though he didn’t feel like the best version of himself, both Eovaldi and Heim -- along with the club’s ability as a whole to walk it off -- perfectly illustrated what made the Rangers World Series champs last season: their resiliency.

“I felt like there were a few mistakes that we had out there, but again, we were able to answer and leave them there,” Eovaldi said. “Ultimately at the end of the day, we were able come out on top tonight. That's what matters. That's what good teams do.”