ARLINGTON -- Texas loves Adolis García. The Rangers right fielder loves Texas right back. García was welcomed to Globe Life Field with deafening cheers as he took the stage for the T-Mobile Home Run Derby.
García’s 67 career home runs in the regular season at Globe Life Field are the most of any player since the park opened in 2020. Overall, he has 71 homers in his home park, including four of his eight home runs during the Rangers’ 2023 World Series run.
On Monday night, García was looking to add to the hardware in his trophy case as he competed in his second career Home Run Derby. After all, he’s practically owned this stadium since becoming a big league regular in 2021.
But unfortunately, García fell in the first round for the second time, hitting 18 home runs and going 0-for-3 in the bonus round.
“I felt very, very excited and very loved by the fans,” García said through Rangers team interpreter Raul Cardenas. “I’m just sorry I couldn't perform the way they wanted me to. But I had a great time. … I feel good, I’m real content with my outing. I just didn't get those bonus balls. That's what kind of put me here.”
He got off to a hot start, hitting his first home run off the left-field foul pole, but he tired down the stretch and couldn’t keep the momentum going.
García’s longest home run was 435 feet, as he amassed 7,248 total feet of home runs throughout his round, but José Ramírez (21), Alec Bohm (21), Bobby Witt Jr. (20) and Teoscar Hernández (19) ultimately advanced to the semifinal round.
“I was just trying to go up there and just get some nice easy swings,” García said. “By the time I got to the bonus round, I felt like I just had a couple of extra swings that I could have gotten a couple home runs off of. It would have been the difference. … I feel good about the situation. At the end of the day, it came down to the last bonus ball that I couldn’t get out.”
The Rangers still have just two Derby winners: Ruben Sierra in 1989 and Juan Gonzalez in '93.
García was not named an All-Star this season after going through a month-long slump at the plate, but he still ranks among the Rangers’ leaders in extra-base hits (32, 1st), home runs (17, 2nd), runs (47, 2nd) and RBIs (45, 3rd). He chose to compete in the Derby because he wanted to win it on his home field.
García wants to return to All-Star form next year, noting that he absolutely wants to do the Derby again.
“One of these days, I’m going to win it,” he said.