ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Corey Seager hit a go-ahead homer to end a career-worst 0-for-29 slump in his first game for Texas in more than three weeks and Kyle Higashioka also went deep as the Rangers beat the Cleveland Guardians 3-2 on Friday night.
Seager had missed 19 games since May 13 while on the injured list because of lower back inflammation. His two-run homer in the sixth inning made it 3-2 right after a double by Wyatt Langford, who missed 39 games since April 21 because of a right forearm strain before he was also activated from the IL before the game.
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Cleveland Guardians' Travis Bazzana gestures while running the bases after hitting a home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Friday, June 5, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Cleveland Guardians pitcher Parker Messick follows through during the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Friday, June 5, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Texas Rangers' Kyle Higashioka, left, runs the bases after hitting a home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Friday, June 5, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Texas Rangers' Corey Seager, center, jogs to the dugout after hitting a home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Friday, June 5, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Cleveland Guardians' Travis Bazzana, right, steals second base against Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager, second from left, during the third inning of a baseball game, Friday, June 5, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Guardians rookie starter Parker Messick (6-2) retired 15 of the first 16 batters he faced, including the first 11, before Higashioka homered leading off the sixth. Messick then gave up the extra-base hits to Langford and Seager, and another hit to Josh Jung before a two-out walk ended his night.
Rangers starter Kumar Rocker struck out five while allowing two runs over five innings before Peyton Gray (2-0) worked 1 2/3 innings. Jacob Latz, their third reliever, worked two innings for his ninth save.
Travis Bazzana had his first career leadoff homer and finished with three hits for the Guardians. He was stranded at third after a leadoff triple in the fifth.
Austin Hedges, a backup catcher for the Rangers’ World Series championship team in 2023, put the Guardians up 2-0 with an RBI single in the fourth.
Seager's 0-for-29 slide included 11 strikeouts. The two-time World Series MVP, still hitting .181 in his 43 games, had been hitless in his previous seven games, also a career worst, since an RBI single on May 6 at Yankee Stadium after he hit a home run earlier in that game.
Tanner Bibbe (0-7, 4.57 ERA) pitches for the Guardians in the middle game of the series Saturday. Rangers right-hander Jack Leiter (3-4, 4.34) tries to win his third start in a row.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Cleveland Guardians' Travis Bazzana gestures while running the bases after hitting a home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Friday, June 5, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Cleveland Guardians pitcher Parker Messick follows through during the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Friday, June 5, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Texas Rangers' Kyle Higashioka, left, runs the bases after hitting a home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Friday, June 5, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Texas Rangers' Corey Seager, center, jogs to the dugout after hitting a home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Friday, June 5, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Cleveland Guardians' Travis Bazzana, right, steals second base against Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager, second from left, during the third inning of a baseball game, Friday, June 5, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Andrei Svechnikov jammed in a puck on a six-on-four power play with 1:42 left to complete a furious four-goal comeback by the Carolina Hurricanes and force overtime at 4-4 against the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday night in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Teams that trail by at least four goals in a Cup Final game are 0-108. Now the Hurricanes have an opportunity in sudden death to become the first.
The Golden Knights seemed to have the game in hand after scoring four times in the second, including a natural hat trick by Mitch Marner.
But Jordan Martinook, Taylor Hall and Jordan Staal scored goals for the Hurricanes to turn what appeared to be a party atmosphere into a white-knuckler for the Golden Knights. Their goals, occurring 39 seconds apart, are the fastest in a Cup Final game
Marner scored the fastest hat trick in Stanley Cup Final history, igniting a four-goal second period in for the Vegas Golden Knights, who held off a furious Carolina rally to beat the Hurricanes 4-3 lead and take a 2-1 series lead.
Marner's scoring outburst came over a 6:10 stretch of the period, and he had four points in the second. He had the secondary assist on Tomas Hertl's goal midway through the period.
The last time a player had four points in a period of the Cup final occurred in 1919 when Frank Foyston of the Seattle Metropolitans pulled off that feat.
Marner nearly added to the total in the third period, but failed to capitalize on a breakaway and a penalty shot. Those missed chances came back to bite the Golden Knights.
The Hurricanes made the comeback after changing goalies to open the third, going with Brandon Bussi, who stood tall in making all nine saves. Frederik Andersen had given up those four goals on 16 shots.
Vegas' Carter Hart has made 19 stops on 23 shots.
Vegas twice thought it took the lead early in the second period, but the Hurricanes successfully challenged both goals to keep the game scoreless.
Mark Stone's goal from the slot 36 seconds into the period was overturned when Brett Howden was determined to be offside after a video review. Another review wiped off Jack Eichel's rebound goal four minutes in when Rasmus Andersson was called for goalie interference.
It's not the first time this series went against the Golden Knights.
An unsuccessful video challenge by Vegas coach John Tortorella in Game 2 on Thursday night led to a power-play goal by Jordan Staal, whose goal helped the Hurricanes rally to win 4-3 in overtime.
The series is 1-1. Teams that take a 2-1 series lead in the final went on to win the Cup 46 of 57 times, or 80.7%.
The Golden Knights received a major boost when defenseman Brayden McNabb took the ice. He took a puck in the face in the first period Thursday night at Carolina and didn't return to the game. McNabb, who had on a cage to protect his face, is Vegas' best defensive defenseman. He was on the first defensive pair with Shea Theodore.
“I wish I could say it’s shocking, but it’s not," Golden Knights captain Mark Stone said on the ABC broadcast. "Just the way he comes to the rink every day, it’s like nothing happened. He’s one of a kind. They don’t make them like that anymore, that’s for sure.”
This series has been, if anything, unpredictable.
Each team blew two-goal leads in the first two games, with the Golden Knights rallying in the opener and Hurricanes responding with a Game 2 victory in overtime.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Carolina Hurricanes right wing Andrei Svechnikov, center, celebrates his goal with defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, left, and center Sebastian Aho during the third period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Vegas Golden Knights, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Carolina Hurricanes right wing Andrei Svechnikov (37) celebrates his goal with right wing Seth Jarvis (24) and center Jordan Staal (11) as he steps over Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Jeremy Lauzon (5) during the third period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Candice Ward)
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner, center, celebrates his goal with center William Karlsson, left, during the second period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Carolina Hurricanes, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner, left, celebrates his goal with center Tomas Hertl during the second period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Carolina Hurricanes, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner, left, celebrates his third goal for a hat trick with center Tomas Hertl during the second period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Carolina Hurricanes, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen, right, stops a shot by Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner during the second period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner, left, celebrates his goal as Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker, right, skates behind during the second period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb is seen with a cage on his helmet during the first period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Carolina Hurricanes, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Candice Ward)
Carolina Hurricanes right wing Seth Jarvis shoots the puck during the first period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Vegas Golden Knights, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Vegas Golden Knights' Mark Stone (61) celebrates with Pavel Dorofeyev (16) after scoring against the Carolina Hurricanes to tie in the third period of Game 2 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
Carolina Hurricanes' Jordan Martinook (48), Seth Jarvis (24), Shayne Gostisbehere (4), and Logan Stankoven (22) ceelbrate after Jarvis scored the game-winning goal against against the Vegas Golden Knights in overtime of Game 2 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
