Rangers reaction salutes the fans for hanging tough on wet night

This will be the shortest Rangers reaction you’ll ever read, so enjoy!

It’s already midnight and most of you are asleep and won’t even see this before the Rangers’ series finale against the Astros begins on Sunday afternoon.

The Rangers won again Saturday night, beating the Astros for the second consecutive night and fourth time in their past five meetings. Remember the vibe that was going down in the Lone Star Series when the Astros won the first six games?

The Rangers are now 5-7 against the Astros with seven more to go. The Astros might win the division, but will they win Texas? It will be fun to watch.

Here’s the quick Rangers reaction from a grand day in franchise history:

1. Props for Pudge — Pudge Rodriguez’s No. 7 jersey was retired before Saturday’s game and Globe Life Park was sold out. Over 47,000 of you Rangers diehards showed up in force despite rain showers before and after the ceremony and during the game. Most fans stuck around to watch the 8-3 win and you deserve a big bow for that. You’re tough and resilient and don’t let the uncomfortable conditions ruin your spirit. During his post-ceremony press conference, you could tell Pudge was truly impressed at the turnout. He mentioned it a couple of times, noting how everyone arrived early enough to witness No. 7 be retired.

He’s beloved athlete in North Texas, so that should surprise anyone. But considering the conditions, Rangers fans deserve a round of applause (or whatever this is I’m writing) for showing up proud and loud for Pudge and then staying for the game despite a short rain delay and a general damp feeling all over. Cheers!

2. Beltre milestone update — Adrian Beltre was 3 for 4 with three RBIs and a double to add all sorts of movement in his all-time rankings. Here’s an updated look:

Hits: 3,011 (Rafael Palmeiro is 27th with 3,020)

Doubles: 607 (Albert Pujols is 12th with 613)

Home runs: 456 (Miguel Cabrera is 37th with 459)

Extra-base hits: 1,100 (Ted Williams/Jimmie Foxx are 18th with 1,117)

Total bases: 5,062 (Tris Speaker is 17th with 5,101)

RBIs: 1,618 (Chipper Jones is 31st with 1,623)

Games: 2,782 (Alex Rodriguez is 25th with 2,784)

3. Playing like it’s 1999 — The Rangers and Astros wore throwback 1999 jerseys Saturday night and it was beautiful. The Rangers white uniforms with red lettering are classic and classy. The Astros’ great road uniforms with the shooting start were similarly classy. Perhaps both clubs should pull those things out more often. Should rekindle fond memories for both fanbases as both made the playoffs that season. Don’t ask how either turned out.

4. Burning Bush — Reliever Matt Bush was dominant for 2 1/3 innings Saturday night. He entered the game with the bases loaded in the sixth and got a fly out to escape the jam after falling behind 3-0. He retired all seven hitters he faced and became the first Rangers’ pitcher to earn a hold in an outing of more than two innings since Darren Oliver did it with 2 1/3 innings on Aug. 4, 2010 at Seattle.

This story was originally published August 13, 2017 at 12:31 AM with the headline "Rangers reaction salutes the fans for hanging tough on wet night."