ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jonah Heim hit his second walk-off homer in as many games right after a tying, two-run shot from Andy Ibánez in the ninth inning, and the Texas Rangers rallied again to beat the Seattle Mariners 4-3 on Sunday.
Heim and Ibánez both connected against reliever Erik Swanson, who hadn’t allowed a run since now-former Texas slugger Joey Gallo went deep against him in the same ballpark on May 8.
Swanson, who had gone 12 2/3 innings without allowing a run while spending more than a month on the injured list with a right groin strain, didn’t even get an out while seeking his second save.
With thunder from a passing severe storm echoing through Texas’ $1.2 billion retractable roof stadium, Nathaniel Lowe opened the ninth with a single before Ibánez sent a liner down the line in left field.
Heim drove a 2-2 fastball into the Texas bullpen in right-center field. It landed in about the same place as the first walk-off hit of the rookie Heim’s career — a two-run shot in the 10th inning of a 5-4 win the night before.
Marco Gonzales was in line to win his third consecutive start after the Seattle left-hander had gone more than three months without a win.
Gonzales gave up five hits and struck out four — all in the middle of a Texas batting order missing Gallo after the rebuilding Rangers sent the slugger to the New York Yankees in a deadline deal.
The Rangers won for just the third time in 17 games while the Mariners finished 5-5 on a 10-game stretch against AL West rivals.
Abraham Toro had three hits to improve to 9 of 18 since joining Seattle in a deal with Houston before the trading deadline.
Dennis Santana (1-1) pitched a scoreless ninth for Texas.
UP NEXT
Mariners: RHP Chris Flexen (9-5, 3.81 ERA) is scheduled for Monday’s opener of a three-game series at Tampa Bay. Flexen’s road ERA (5.92) is more than three runs higher than his home mark, although he is 3-1 away from Seattle.
Rangers: RHP Dane Dunning (4-7, 4.20) is set for Monday’s opener of a four-game series at home against the Los Angeles Angels. Dunning pitched a season-high 6 1/3 innings in his previous start, a 5-4 win over Arizona that ended Texas’ 12-game losing streak.
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