ARLINGTON -- Between batting practice and first pitch on Sept. 3 at Globe Life Field, Rangers first baseman Jake Burger shaved his big bushy beard down to what he described as a “Kevin Youkilis” goatee.
Obviously for such a major cosmetic change, Burger had to check in with his wife, Ashlyn, who said she was OK with it, as long as it produced some home runs.
“Two home runs, to be specific,” Burger said with a laugh.
It took a few days, but the home runs followed the goatee. Burger launched a pair of homers on Sunday afternoon, helping to carry the Rangers’ to an 8-6 win over the Rays that secured a split of the four-game set at Globe Life Field.
“I give [my wife] props for the leeway she showed me throughout the series,” Burger joked of the goatee. “I got it done in the last game of the series. She texted me and said, ‘I guess it stays.’ So for the foreseeable future, it's going to be a statement.”
It was the ninth multi-homer game of his career and the second of the season (April 13 @ Athletics), as he helped the Rangers to a much-needed victory over the best team in the American League.
Burger now has 25 homers in 2026, tying Joc Pederson for the team lead while also surpassing his single-season career high RBI total (80 RBIs in 2023 with CWS/MIA), finishing the day with 82 on the year.
“[He’s a] winner,” said manager Skip Schumaker. “That's what I think about Jake Burger. He comes in and he posts every single day. Last year he was hurt a lot. He tried to fight through it. It was hard. Looking at him, if you would have told me he was going to hit 25-plus and have 80-plus RBIs, we would have all signed up for that. This is the Jake Burger I remember [from their time in Miami]. He's just a winning player, and he's built for those moments.”
After two unsuccessful comeback attempts this weekend against the Rays, Burger and Co. finally got over the hurdle. The Rays led 4-0 midway through the second inning and 5-1 midway through the fourth. But Texas kept chipping away, including four runs in the fourth and two in the fifth for some much-needed insurance.
Schumaker said that Burger’s second inning solo shot changed the momentum of the game even though it just cut Tampa Bay’s lead to three runs after the Rays scored four in the top half of the frame.
“It was kind of a little bit of an answer back,” Schumaker said. “I know it was only one run, but that's what we needed. We needed something positive in that inning. Then he obviously hit another home run, which was awesome. You always are looking for an answer, and he provided the answer today.”
One thing that has persisted throughout this season, especially in the most recent stretch, is the belief in the Rangers’ clubhouse. Sunday was the epitome of a complete team win and the belief in each and every player as Schumaker virtually emptied his bench to ensure every run possible. By splitting the series against the Rays, the Rangers secured another winning homestand before heading on a West Coast road trip between Seattle and Arizona. They remain two games back of the Astros in the AL West and two games back of the third and final Wild Card spot.
With just 18 games left, the opportunity is still in front of them.
“I come in thinking we're going to win every single day,” Schumaker said. “That's the hard, honest truth, and those guys do as well.”
“I think there's a lot of belief,” Burger asserted. “I think when you lose those two games [against the Rays], it's easy to hit the panic button a little bit. But I think there's a lot of belief in this clubhouse amongst the guys. It’s still right there for us, both the Wild Card and the division. We just have to show up every single day and do our jobs.”