Rangers’ Wyatt Langford notches 1st career HR with inside-the-park madness

Wyatt Langford made history earlier this year when he became the youngster player in Texas Rangers history since Elvis Andrus to make his major league debut on Opening Day. But the 22-year-old has gotten off to slow start during his rookie campaign.

Coming into Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Reds, Langford was just 24-for-98 (.245), though he has been able to draw a fair amount walks that helped bump his on-base percentage up to .329. But it was power that helped Langford land a spot on the Rangers Opening Day.

Langford had a .714 slugging percentage during spring training, but that number was sitting at just .296 through his first 26 games. To make matters worse, almost one month into the season, Langford had yet to record his first-ever home run. But that all changed on Sunday.

Rangers’ Wyatt Langford notches 1st career HR with inside-the-park madness

With the Rangers already leading the Reds 2-0 thanks to a two-run bomb off the bat of Adolis Garcia, Langford stepped into the batters' box with a runner at first and two outs in the bottom of the first inning.

Langford launched a ball into right field, but as Reds' outfielders Jake Fraley and Stuart Fairchild converged, neither was able to come up with the ball. It took an odd bounce off the wall that allowed Jonah Heim to score from first.

As Fraley gathered the throw, Langford was rounding third and heading for home. The relay throw was halted and Langford scored without a throw to the plate. The Rangers took a 4-0 advantage heading into the second inning thanks to a fortunate bounce and the speed of Langford on the base paths.

While it wasn't a home run in the traditional sense, it still counts. Rangers fans are hopeful that it's the first of many round-trippers for the Texas rookie this season.

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