Minnesota Twins Defeat Texas Rangers 4-1: Zebby Matthews Shines as Rangers Eliminated from Playoff Race

Wednesday, September 24th, 2025

Minnesota Twins Triumph Over Texas Rangers, 4-1

Zebby Matthews delivered a stellar performance on the mound for the Minnesota Twins, pitching seven strong innings and allowing just one run—a leadoff home run—en route to a 4-1 victory over the Texas Rangers. The win extends Texas’ losing streak to eight games and officially eliminates them from playoff contention.

Rangers’ Playoff Hopes Dashed

The Texas Rangers, now at 79-78, were just two games behind the AL West lead as recently as September 13 and looked firmly in the wild-card race after a hot streak. However, their recent skid leaves them 5.5 games behind Houston with only five games remaining, ending their postseason aspirations for 2025.

Game Highlights

The Rangers initially took the lead thanks to Joc Pederson’s ninth home run of the season. Matthews (5-6) rebounded quickly, giving up only three singles over his next seven innings while striking out six and not issuing a walk. This outing matched the longest of his career starts.

Minnesota took control in the third inning as Kody Clemens led off with a double and scored on Byron Buxton's fielder's-choice grounder. Buxton then crossed the plate on a single by Ryan Jeffries. Clemens contributed an RBI single in the sixth, further extending the Twins' advantage.

For Texas, Patrick Corbin (7-11) started on the mound, giving up two runs on four hits over 3 and 2/3 innings. The Rangers used a total of six pitchers in the effort.

Cole Sands finished the game with a perfect ninth inning, securing his third save of the season for Minnesota.

Key Moment

Matthews showcased his dominance by retiring 11 of the last 12 batters he faced. The only Texas batter to reach base for a third time against him did so on an error, underscoring Matthews’ control throughout the game.

Key Stat

Texas’ current eight-game losing streak matches their longest since August 2023, the year they captured their only World Series title.

Up Next

The series continues Wednesday night with Jacob deGrom (12-8, 3.01 ERA) making his 30th start for Texas after returning from Tommy John surgery. Taj Bradley (6-8, 5.20 ERA) is set to take the mound for Minnesota.

In summary

The Minnesota Twins capitalized on strong pitching from Zebby Matthews and a timely offensive effort to secure a 4-1 win over the Texas Rangers. The loss extends Texas’s losing streak to eight games, ending their hopes of a postseason berth in 2025. Key contributions from Kody Clemens and Byron Buxton helped Minnesota build and maintain their lead, while Rangers starter Patrick Corbin struggled early. With only a handful of games left and play off contention no longer in reach, Texas faces a challenging final stretch to their season.

MLB Schedules

Today's MLB Games

There are no baseball games today.

Tomorrow's MLB Games

There are no baseball games tomorrow.

Yesterday's MLB Games

There were no baseball games yesterday.