ARLINGTON -- Jake Burger obviously knows the Krabby Patty formula.
For SpongeBob SquarePants Night at Globe Life Field against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday, it was only right that Burger would blast a three-run opposite-field homer in the fifth inning before delivering a game-tying RBI single in the bottom of the ninth.
Danny Jansen dealt the knockout blow to carry the Rangers to a 6-5 win and a series victory over the Diamondbacks. It was his fifth career walk-off plate appearance and Texas’ first since Dustin Harris on Sept. 5, 2025, against the Astros.
It was a heart-attack-inducing ninth inning for the Rangers, who entered the frame with a one-run lead from Burger’s earlier homer. The Diamondbacks fought back to score three runs in the top half off Texas reliever Jacob Latz, who hadn’t allowed a run since April 12 at Dodger Stadium.
But the Rangers didn’t go down quietly.
“JJ [Josh Jung] and [Ezequiel] Duran sparked that rally in the ninth inning,” said manager Skip Schumaker. “And then Danny with a huge hit. It could have been the difference in a deflating or inflating clubhouse right there. … That's what good teams do, and good teammates do. They pick each other up, and we had a lot of that tonight.”
In the win, Burger tied Corey Seager for the most home runs (7) by a Ranger this season and cushioned his team lead in RBIs (27). Schumaker even asserted that Burger has that “clutch gene” that many players have. And when he’s hitting like he did this week, he can carry a team.
“Jake is an easy guy to root for because of how good of a person he is and also how hard he works,” Schumaker said. “You bet on guys that work hard. I believe hard work equals good luck. And he got some good luck today. He deserves the good luck with all the work he's put in. Today was huge for him. We need him.”
Jansen said it's “scary” if the Rangers can get Burger going with the bat.
It’s been a much-needed productive series for Burger, who was enduring quite the skid before the Snakes came to town.
Burger did not play the final two days against the Cubs on Saturday and Sunday. At the time, he was 0-for-7 in his last two games and 2-for-19 in his last five. He was also 9-for-his-last-69 (.130) to drop his season average to .208.
“I think it's just a couple days off to work and watch the game and think about what he needs to do to get back to being productive,” Schumaker said on Saturday. “Jake is a guy that can get hot and carry a team. We need that to happen. He knows that. He's aware. He knows what all the numbers are. So getting him going is going to be a big part of us getting back on track.”
Whatever he did in those two days has worked in a small sample so far. He went 3-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs in Tuesday night’s win, marking a season-high four times on base. He followed that up with a career-high-tying four RBIs in Wednesday’s win.
After his home run in the fifth, he emotionally spiked his bat before rounding the bases -- a surprising display from a pretty even-keeled player.
“That's the type of swagger I want to play with every night,” Burger said. “When you don't feel like the confidence is there on a nightly basis, it's hard to show that type of emphatic [reaction]. I think this game is built on confidence. You see a couple knocks get down, get through a hole, you build that confidence back up. You remember who you are.”
It goes without saying that the Rangers are a better team when Burger is rolling like that.
Burger credited hitting coach Justin Viele and Schumaker for giving him the time and space to work through things. Now he has to keep it going.
“I'm working as hard as I can to get back to myself,” Burger said. “These last two games, that’s the style of baseball I want to play every single night. I know it helps the team. It's just about going about my work every single day and showing up to be ready to win a ball game.”