Rangers' Yang Hyeon-jong takes loss vs. Yankees at wrong end of no-hitter

All News 11:39 May 20, 2021

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- With zero run support and some control issues of his own, Texas Rangers' South Korean pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong suffered his first loss of the season against the New York Yankees.

Yang allowed two runs on three hits and four walks in 5 1/3 innings at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on Wednesday (local time), as the Rangers got no-hit by the Yankees' starter Corey Kluber in a 2-0 loss.

Yang dropped to 0-1, but his ERA stayed at 3.38.

In this Associated Press photo, Yang Hyeon-jong of the Texas Rangers pitches against the New York Yankees in the top of the third inning of a Major League Baseball regular season game at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on May 19, 2021. (Yonhap)

This was Yang's fifth appearance and second start of the season, and also his longest outing so far.

But he also issued a season-high four walks, the last of which chased him from the game with one out in the sixth inning and the Rangers trailing 2-0. Yang did induce three double play balls to limit the damage.

Yang walked the leadoff DJ LeMahieu to begin the game, but erased him with a 5-4-3 double play ball by Luke Voit. A strikeout of Gio Urshela got Yang out of the opening inning unscathed.

In the second inning, Yang once again allowed the leadoff man on, this time Gleyber Torres reaching with an infield single. But Yang was up to his old tricks again, as Miguel Andujar hit into a 6-4-3 double play.

Yang pitched three-up, three-down innings in the third and fourth, needing a combined 21 pitches to retire six batters in order.

In this Getty Images photo, Yang Hyeon-jong of the Texas Rangers pitches against the New York Yankees in the top of the first inning of a Major League Baseball regular season game at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on May 19, 2021. (Yonhap)

Yang walked Torres to begin the fifth, and then Andujar bounced into his second double play of the game, this time a 5-4-3 twin killing.

Before the game, the Yankees were leading all of the majors with 42 double plays.

Despite those free passes, Yang managed to stay efficient with his pitch counts, needing only 53 for his first five innings.

But Yang once again walked the leadoff man in the sixth inning, and he pushed his luck too far that time. No double play was coming, as No. 9 hitter Tyler Wade delivered an RBI triple to break the 0-0 tie.

LeMahieu then cashed in Wade with a sacrifice fly for a 2-0 Yankees lead.

Yang walked Voit on six pitches and his day was done.

The Rangers' bullpen shut down the Yankees the rest of the way, but their bats were silenced by Kluber, the two-time American League Cy Young Award winner turning back the clock at age 35.