ARLINGTON -- Rangers reliever José Leclerc got Detroit's Jeimer Candelario to hit a grounder to first baseman Danny Santana and raced over to dutifully cover the bag. He caught the throw from Santana and stepped on first for the final out of the Rangers' 5-4 victory over the Tigers on Friday.

Leclerc then took the ball and fired it deep over the right field fence. When last seen, it was headed for the right field roof, a far better throw than what Trevor Bauer delivered in his final start for the Indians last Sunday. Bauer was frustrated. Leclerc was not.

“I was really happy,” Leclerc said. “That’s it."

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He had reason to rejoice. Leclerc is back as the Rangers' closer and earned his first save since April 17 to preserve Lance Lynn's14th win on Friday night at Globe Life Park.

“So good,” Leclerc said. “So exciting. That’s why I do what I do.”

There was much for the Rangers to be excited about on Friday. Center fielder Scott Heineman had two hits in his Major League debut, Hunter Pence hit his first home run since June 16 and Lynn was outstanding again. He held the Tigers to one run in seven innings while striking out 10.

But Leclerc stands above it all because he is now back in the closer’s role and the Rangers want to see him stay there for the rest of the season. How Leclerc handles it is high in importance on the list of things that Rangers manager Chris Woodward wants to see over the regular season's final two months.

“It’s something that we want Leclerc to get comfortable again finishing games off for us,” Woodward said. “It’s not going to be easy. That job is so fragile. Every game you pitch is important. It’s never easy, even when you are up three you are still facing big league hitters. So it’s something very high on our importance finishing this season off. Hopefully he is in a good position at the end of the year.”

This one wasn’t easy. Leclerc was asked to protect a 5-2 lead, but the Tigers scored twice and had runners at second and third with two outs. Leclerc avoided disaster by getting that final ground ball to finish it off.

Leclerc admitted it was a nerve-racking outing.

“A little, yeah, because I got the opportunity that I want,” Leclerc said. “The one I’m supposed to do. I thank Woody for giving me the opportunity to close the game and the confidence he gave me. I feel good. That’s what I did when the season started, so I have to enjoy it and keep doing my work, no matter the situation.”

Leclerc opened the season as the Rangers' closer but was taken out of the role after posting an 8.44 ERA, 2.16 WHIP and two blown saves through his first 13 games. Leclerc’s first shot at closing again was last Sunday against the A's. The Rangers had a 5-4 lead into the ninth, but Oakland scored two off Leclerc en route to a 6-5 victory.

Getting that first save out of the way should help him, according to Woodward.

“It was good that he got the job done,” Woodward said. “Didn’t give up a hard hit ball, really. It never seems easy. I had a feeling his next save wasn’t going to be an easy one. Bottom of the lineup, we are up three. You just had a feeling something was going to happen to make it hard on him but he got through it and got us a win.”

And as for throwing the ball over the right-field fence…

“He wants to be good every time out,” Woodward said. “He’s a competitor. He doesn’t like letting his team down. He probably felt he made that a lot harder than it was but this game is not easy. He gives everything he has every time out. I don’t question that. I’ll probably talk to him about it, say don’t do that the next time. But he’s a competitor.”