Rangers Take AL West Lead, Seager Leads 11-2

Corey Seager had three hits and three RBI, and the Texas Rangers beat the Chicago White Sox 11-2 on Monday night to take sole possession of first place in the AL West. The Associated Press recap on ESPN and CBS Sports both had the line. Jake Burger and Wyatt Langford homered. Ezequiel Duran drove in two. Texas (66-66) outhit the AL Central leaders 14-5 and moved a half-game ahead of idle Houston for the first time since July 30.

Kumar Rocker (5-10) pitched 5 2/3 innings for the win, two runs, five hits, eight strikeouts, three walks, ESPN's box showed. Robby Ahlstrom retired all four batters he faced. Jordan Montgomery finished with two perfect innings. Jose Urquidy (2-2) lasted three innings and allowed five runs on six hits and four walks. The Rangers scored in seven of nine innings at Rate Field.

Corey Seager, Burger, Langford: the 11-2 tape

Joc Pederson walked to start the game and scored on Duran's groundout. Evan Carter added a two-out RBI double for 2-0, AP sequenced. Brandon Nimmo robbed Andrew Benintendi of a two-run homer in the bottom of the first. Duran's two-out infield hit with the bases loaded made it 3-0 in the second. Pederson, stuck in an 0-for-24 slump, struck out looking to open that inning and was ejected by plate umpire Chris Guccione for comments from the dugout before Carter's groundout ended it.

Tristan Peters homered for a third straight game, his 10th of the season, a two-out shot that cut it to 3-2. Seager answered with a two-out double in the third that scored two and made it 5-2. Burger hit his 22nd homer leading off the fifth. Justin Foscue, in for Pederson, and Seager had back-to-back doubles with two outs for 7-2. Burger added an RBI double in the sixth, Duran scored on a wild pitch in the eighth, and Langford hit his 15th, a two-run shot off Trevor Richards in the ninth.

AL West, deGrom, and what 66-66 actually is

A .500 club in first place in late August is the AL West in 2026. Houston sat idle. Seattle had just beaten Philadelphia 9-2 behind Cal Raleigh's first three-homer game and still trailed. Texas had not held the division alone since July 30, AP wrote. The White Sox came in leading the Central and left with five hits. Peters was the only Chicago noise that stuck.

Jacob deGrom (9-8, 3.77) starts Tuesday opposite Anthony Kay (9-6, 3.96). One rout does not lock a division. It does put the Rangers in the seat they have been chasing since the deadline. Seager's three hits were the night. Burger's 22nd and Langford's 15th were the padding. Ian Happ's grand slam was Sunday's other leftover slugger night. This one changed the standings.

Rangers AL West lead FAQ

Did the Rangers take first place in the AL West? Yes. The 11-2 win moved Texas a half-game ahead of idle Houston and into sole possession for the first time since July 30, per AP and CBS Sports. The Rangers are 66-66.

What did Corey Seager do Monday? Three hits and three RBI, including a two-run double in the third and another double in the fifth, AP and ESPN both had. Burger homered and doubled. Langford hit a two-run homer in the ninth.

Who starts Tuesday? Jacob deGrom for Texas against White Sox left-hander Anthony Kay, the AP recap listed. Rocker got the win Monday. Urquidy took the loss.