Texas Rangers second baseman Cameron Cauley appeared in 484 minor league games over six seasons before receiving his first call-up to the majors.
His promotion included a spot in the lineup for the Rangers’ series opener Monday against the host Cleveland Guardians — and the kind of wet welcome that only baseball players extend.
American League West-leading Texas will continue its road trip Tuesday night with right-hander Jacob deGrom (6-5, 3.55 ERA) taking on Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee (2-8, 3.78).
Cauley tripled in the seventh inning for his first hit in his debut on Monday, then scored the go-ahead run as the Rangers pulled away for a 6-3 victory. Mayhem followed in the clubhouse.
“I probably have mustard in my hair,” the 23-year-old said, laughing. “The guys got me with baby powder, beer, all of it celebrating. Everyone wants their first game to go well. That was sick the way everything happened tonight.”
A third-round draft pick by Texas in 2021, Cauley went 1-for-3 with a walk from the seven-hole in the batting order. He scored runs in the seventh and ninth.
The late-inning success came after Cauley misplayed a routine grounder in the fourth, allowing Kahlil Watson to reach on an error. Texas manager Skip Schumaker and a number of teammates visited him in the dugout following his miscue, offering encouragement.
“Some players might look at that and hang their head on the bench, but he came back with what was a game-changing hit,” Schumaker said. “Oh, man, that was so special the way he handled adversity from the first few innings.”
Watson, a Guardians rookie, also played a part in Cauley’s triple, losing his balance while pursuing the drive down the right-field line. The hit, off a changeup thrown by Parker Messick, would have been a double in any case but became more thanks to pure hustle.
“I was thinking two (bases), but when he didn’t pick it up clean, I said screw it,” Cauley said. “I was going to try for three.
“The first two at-bats, he threw me changeups, so I was kind of surprised to get another. I shortened up my swing and got it.”
Texas will carry a five-game road winning streak — its longest since June 18-23, 2018 — into deGrom’s 17th start of the season. The Rangers also have won five games in a row overall.
deGrom, who leads the AL with a rate of 10.76 strikeouts per nine innings, is 3-1 in his past six outings. The two-time National League Cy Young Award winner faced Cleveland for the first time on June 7, gaining a win with six shutout innings and six strikeouts in a 10-0 victory.
The Guardians are headed in the opposite direction, having dropped eight of 13 games since losing All-Star third baseman Jose Ramirez to a broken left hamate bone on June 13. His replacement, Gabriel Arias, hit a 429-foot solo homer on Monday.
“Those moments, you even feel the ball when you hit it, so it feels good,” Arias said of his first long ball since April 3. “I lowered my hands to allow me to stay a little more direct to the ball, so obviously it feels good when you’re able to put those results in the game.”
Bibee has been one of Cleveland’s few bright spots, with a 1.71 ERA in June, the second-lowest mark in the AL among qualified pitchers. His last start was a no-decision against the host Chicago White Sox on Wednesday, when he tossed six scoreless innings before closer Cade Smith blew the lead in the ninth. But Cleveland won 4-3 in 10 innings.
In five career games against Texas, Bibee is 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA. The win occurred on June 6, when he blanked the host Rangers for eight innings, giving up three hits.
Bibee could use some more run support, though. Cleveland is averaging 2.5 runs in his starts, one of the lowest such figures in the majors.
“I think our lineup is what it is,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “It’s 13 position players against the other team. (Monday) was just a tough night for us.”
–Field Level Media
