Rangers Watch Homer Parade in Loss to Yankees

Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images

April 27, 2026

Yankees 4, Rangers 2

ARLINGTON, Texas (Apr 27) — The Texas Rangers stumbled in their series opener with the New York Yankees Monday evening, losing, 4–2. Ben Rice, Aaron Judge, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. each pitched in with one homer apiece to help their team’s cause. The Rangers will have the opportunity to even the series Tuesday night with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 pm Central at Globe Life Field. Right-hander Cam Schlittler (3–1, 1.77 ERA) will get the ball for the Yankees, and the Rangers will counter with righty Jacob deGrom (2–0, 2.13 ERA).

Rice, Judge Go Back-to-Back

The Yankees broke into the run column first in the top of the third with Jack Leiter on the bump. Jose Caballero hit a one-out single to center. He didn’t stay on the field for long as a nice pickoff throw by Leiter got him. Trent Grisham hit a single to second baseman Ezequiel Duran that was deflected in transit off Leiter’s glove. That brought up Rice, who blasted the first pitch he saw over the wall in center. It marked his 10th blast of the season.

Moments later, Judge followed suit with with a bomb to left for his 11th homer of the year. In the top of the fourth Chisholm Jr. joined the chat with a leadoff home run to right-center. Similar to Rice’s home run in the third, Chisholm’s came on the first pitch he saw, and it was his third homer of the campaign.

The Rangers scored their first run in the bottom of the seventh off reliever Camilo Doval. With one out in the inning, Joc Pederson entered the game as a pinch-hitter for Andrew McCutchen. He went deep to left-center on a 1–1 pitch for his second homer of the year.

Their second run came in the bottom of the ninth off reliever David Bednar. Jake Burger led off with a single to Chisholm at second. Burger was called safe on Chisholm’s throw to first. The Yankees challenged the call, which was upheld after seven minutes of deliberation by the replay center in New York. It was a very close play that needed every bit of evidence they could find. When play resumed, Kyle Higashioka struck out swing to bring up Alejandro Osuna. He singled to center to drive in Burger and complete the scoring.

What Went Right for the Yankees

The Yankees figured out Leiter’s pattern early in Monday’s contest. They got to him for three round-trippers as part of a four-run performance. All of their offense came in the first four innings. On the mound, Yankees starter Max Fried did a nice job limiting traffic on the bases. He surrendered four hits and two walks, but he found ways to get out of each jam he was in.

What Went Wrong for the Yankees

The only issue the Yankees had came in the seventh when Pederson hit his home run. Pederson hasn’t been the Rangers’ hottest hitter this year, but he has shown occasional signs of life. Monday was once of those instances.

Leiter Struggles

Rangers right-hander Jack Leiter’s line was 6 IP, 8 H, 4 R-ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 3 HR, 93 pitches/58 strikes. He took the loss, slipping to 1–2 with a 5.17 ERA on the year. Leiter yielded a career-high three home runs over his six frames. Monday was his 12th career start of six or more innings and first among those outings that wasn’t a Quality Start. He posted 2 2/3 scoreless stanzas to begin his night.

This was the second instance of ceding consecutive homers in his career. This contest also marked the first home runs against Leiter at Globe Life Field this year, as he had surrendered only two total blasts over his previous five home starts dating back to August 23, 2025. Leiter has allowed three or more earned runs in a career-high four straight games.

Fried’s Evening

Yankees lefty Max Fried made his league-leading seventh start of the season Monday and earned his fourth win, firing six scoreless frames. His record now sits at 4–1. Fried has tossed six or more innings in six of his seven starts and now owns a 2.09 ERA for the season – the fifth-lowest ERA among AL qualifiers. Over his last 14 starts dating back to August 22, 2025, Fried boasts a 10–1 record and 1.83 ERA. He has allowed one or zero runs in nine of those 14 starts.

For his effort in the bottom of the ninth, Bednar notched his eighth save on the year after giving up an RBI single to Osuna. He also had one strikeout.

Schumaker’s Postgame Comments

After the game, Rangers manager Skip Schumaker elaborated on an ankle injury that could have hindered Leiter’s performance. “I think Jack pitched his butt off today,” he said. “He had an ankle injury that he fought through the entire week. He still gave us six strong innings. Unfortunately he gave up a home run to Aaron Judge, Ben Rice, and Jazz (Chisholm Jr). I get it, he gave up three home runs, but overall for him to go out like he did and give us a chance to win shows a lot about who this kid is. We can talk about the home runs, but what he did for us tonight was really impressive.”