On this date in franchise history, the Texas Rangers won Game 2 of the 2010 American League Championship Series, defeating the New York Yankees, 7-2.
The game, played on Oct. 16, 2010, marked the first time the Rangers had defeated the Yankees in a postseason contest since Game 1 of the American League Division Series in 1996.
The night prior, the Yankees won Game 1, 6-5, at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. So, Texas entered Game 2 hoping for a split before the series went back to the Bronx.
Colby Lewis drew the start for the Rangers, squaring off against Phil Hughes of the Yankees. The Rangers chased Hughes off in the fifth inning, thanks to scoring seven runs in the first five frames.
In the first inning, Elvis Andrus scored on a double steal. In the second, David Murphy hit a solo home run to make it 2-0. Then, three Rangers — Mitch Moreland, Andrus and Michael Young — had consecutive hits, the last of which scored Moreland, to make it 3-0.
In the bottom of the third, Nelson Cruz led off the inning with a double, then moved to third base on a sacrifice bunt by Ian Kinsler. A double by Murphy scored Cruz, and then a double by Bengie Molina scored Murphy, making it 5-0.
The Yankees showed some life in the top of the fourth, as Robinson Cano doubled and later scored on a hit by Lance Berkman. But, the Rangers answered with two more runs in the bottom of the fifth. Cruz hit another leadoff double, and later scored on a triple by Kinsler. Moreland later drove Kinsler home.
With a 7-1 lead after five innings, the Yankees just couldn’t catch up. Lewis and the bullpen threw a gem of a game, giving up just seven hits and helping the Rangers claim their first home postseason victory in franchise history.
Also on this date …
Oct. 16, 2014: The Rangers named Jeff Banister as their newest manager. Banister served as Rangers manager from 2015 until Sept. 21, 2018, during which he led the Rangers to a pair of American League West titles.
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