The Texas Rangers’ postseason dreams are on life support after Friday night’s 6–4 loss to the Miami Marlins in 12 innings. The defeat dropped Texas to 79–74 on the season, leaving them too deep in the Wild Card standings to realistically claw back a playoff spot.
The night started with promise as Josh Jung drove in the first run of the game in the second inning on a swinging bunt. Starter Tyler Mahle gave the Rangers a chance to win, pitching 4.2 innings, allowing no earned runs on 4 hits, striking out 6 while walking just one. But his early exit forced the bullpen to cover heavy innings — a familiar issue that came back to bite Texas late.
On the other side, Miami starter Janson Junk was brilliant, tossing 7.0 innings of three-hit ball with only one earned run allowed and five strikeouts. His dominance kept the Rangers’ bats quiet through the middle frames.
The Marlins tied the game in the seventh when Javier Sanoja launched a pinch-hit home run. In the 10th, Miami appeared to put the game away with a two-run rally, highlighted by an Otto Lopez RBI double and an Xavier Edwards RBI single. But the Rangers fought back. With two outs in the bottom half, Rowdy Tellez crushed a two-run homer to tie it again, sending Globe Life Field into a frenzy.
That excitement was short-lived. In the 12th inning, the Rangers’ bullpen cracked. Veteran lefty Patrick Corbin was tagged for three runs, and this time, Texas had no answer. The Marlins held on for the extra-inning win, sealing another frustrating night for a Rangers team that has lived and died by late-game execution.
The loss not only marked another blown opportunity at home — where Texas has been excellent with a 47–28 record at Globe Life Field — but also underscored their struggles on the road, where they’ve stumbled to just 32–46. That split has been one of the defining issues of the season, keeping the Rangers from climbing back into the Wild Card race despite a strong overall run differential (+87).
Now, with only a handful of games remaining and a four-game deficit in the Wild Card race, the math has caught up with them. This team has shown fight, but the hole is too deep. The focus will inevitably shift toward the offseason, where the front office will need to address bullpen depth, add another reliable middle-of-the-order bat, and build a roster capable of sustaining a postseason run.
For a club that tasted glory just two seasons ago, 2025 has been a year of missed chances. Friday’s loss to the Marlins only confirmed it: the Rangers will be watching October from home. It’s a disappointing end to the season, but Texas now turns its sights to building a stronger, more consistent team for 2026.