Nick Solak had a debut to remember with the Rangers. After homering earlier in the game for his first career blast, he stepped to the plate again in the 11th inning of a tied game. The Angels pitched around Tim to get to Solak, a rookie who’d just arrived via trade from the Rays. Solak delivered, grounding a shot to Albert Pujols who didn’t exactly give a full effort. Whether by design or fatigue, Pujols let it through and the Rangers walked it off.
The team mobbed Solak after the hit and went straight for the rookie’s jersey. It turned into a full-on shirt removal process, with teammates practically undressing him on the field. Solak, clearly not used to the postgame routine, tried to put another shirt on right before the Gatorade bath. Mistake. They got him with the classic dump anyway. In one game, he got his first home run, first walk-off hit, and first shirtless moment in the majors. A busy debut and a quick crash course in how walk-offs work.