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Wyatt Langford joins Jackie Robinson on historic MLB shortlist with walk-off grand slam
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Wyatt Langford clearly has a flair for the dramatic, and now the former Florida star has joined very elite company during his memorable rookie season with the Texas Rangers.
After he belted the 1st walk-off grand slam by a Rangers rookie in Tuesday night’s 7-4 victory over the New York Yankees, the 22-year-old Gainesville native became just the 2nd player in Major League Baseball history to hit for the cycle, hit an inside-the-park homer and smack a walk-off grand slam in the same season.
The other guy to accomplish this rare feat was named Jackie Robinson, who pulled it off during his 2nd season with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1948.
https://twitter.com/JaredSandler/status/1831297796495827175
“I think everyone likes those moments,” said Langford, who is also the 1st Rangers player with 3 walk-off hits in a season since Josh Hamilton in 2011. “I think you like them even more if you’re able to come through. So, it’s really cool to be able to come through.”
WYATT WALK-OFF GRAND SLAM! pic.twitter.com/bfWTfdQ95b
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) September 4, 2024
Langford helped lead Florida to the 2023 College World Series finals and was named to the 2023 College World Series All-Tournament Team. He was a 2023 Golden Spikes Award semifinalist and was named a unanimous 1st-team All-American in 2023.
Langford was selected 4th overall by the Rangers in the 2023 MLB Draft, and 1 year later he’s become a folk hero in Arlington.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
