Padres Walk Off Rangers in Dramatic Extra-Inning Victory

San Diego, CA — The San Diego Padres defeated the Texas Rangers 3-2 in a thrilling extra-inning game on Friday, July 4, 2025, at PETCO Park. Jake Cronenworth delivered the decisive hit, a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning, sending rivals fans home disappointed.

With automatic runner Jackson Merrill on second base, Cronenworth came to the plate with two outs. After Manny Machado was intentionally walked and Luis Arraez struck out, Gavin Sheets reached on a single to load the bases. Cronenworth then took a 1-1 slider and sent it to right field, allowing Merrill to score. This marked Cronenworth’s fifth career walk-off hit.

Manny Machado, who was also pivotal in the game, brought his career hit total to 1,997. He cranked a solo home run 440 feet to center field in the fourth inning, closing the gap after the Rangers took an early lead.

The Rangers struck first in the top of the third inning when Marcus Semien doubled, driving in two runs after Josh Smith walked, and Corey Seager hit a single. This put Texas ahead 2-0. The Padres retaliated, continuing their struggle for consistency with runners in scoring position during the game.

Despite the adversity, San Diego tied the score 2-2 in the sixth inning after Tatis tripled to start the inning and later scored on an RBI single from Arraez. Both pitchers, Kumar Rocker for Texas and Randy Vasquez for San Diego, pitched well but received no decisions.

Adrian Morejon took the win after pitching a scoreless 10th inning, maintaining the inning’s momentum. The Padres’ next game is set for Saturday, July 5, where they hope to keep the winning streak alive with Stephen Kolek on the mound against Rangers’ Jack Leiter.