ARLINGTON, Texas -- Carlos Gomez, the former All-Star who was released earlier this month by the Houston Astros, stepped into the batter's box as a member of the Texas Rangers for the first time Thursday night.
Two pitches later, Gomez hit his first homer as a Ranger, a three-run blast that led Texas to a 9-0 win over the Cleveland Indians.
"I feel so blessed," Gomez said after the game. "To come from not having a job to a team in first place and to start like this right away is a gift from God."
And just like that, the Rangers' latest reclamation project made an impact on the team with the American League's best record.
This is a team that's been known to take chances on players.
General manage Jon Daniels has done it with players with off-field concerns such as Josh Hamilton (twice), Milton Bradley and Matt Bush, and now Jeremy Jeffress, who was suspended twice in the minors for violating the league's drug policy and was jailed at 5:13 a.m. Friday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence.
Daniels has also done it with players that have more on-field concerns, such as Manny Ramirez (who never made it out of Triple-A), Ian Desmond coming off a down year in Washington and now Gomez.
Houston released Gomez because he didn't produce on the field -- a .210 average with five homers and 29 RBIs this season -- and because the Astros grew weary of his over-the-top antics, whether it was swinging so hard his batting helmet fell off or making too many mental mistakes in the field for a former Gold Glove outfielder.
"You can't run scared from talented players," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. "He's an energy guy. He's going to excite you. He pushes the envelope, which I don't mind. We have some guys who do that already."
Daniels can take a chance on adding a player such as Gomez to a team in the middle of a playoff run because he has built the roster with leaders such as Adrian Beltre, Ian Desmond and Cole Hamels, who control the clubhouse.
"It seems like we can accept everybody with open arms, and we've proved it time and time again," said first baseman Mitch Moreland, who is in his seventh season with Rangers.
"It starts with our front office and coaching staff and trickles down to the players and the whole environment we have set around here that allows everyone to thrive whatever your past may be."
But Daniels has also hired managers, Ron Washington and Banister, who excel as communicators and set expectations.
Neither has a bunch of rules, and they don't mind players with personality as long as they play hard.
Still, baseball is a game built around the discipline required to play 162 games in 183 days.
"We don't expect you to change anything, but we do expect you to embrace our organizational concepts of accountability of work and having a certain responsibility to yourself and teammates," said former Ranger Michael Young, who was recently inducted into the team's Hall of Fame and now serves as an assistant to Daniels.
"If they embrace those things, they have all the freedom in the world to be themselves, but there's a certain conduct that's expected. There's an unwritten code of what a Ranger is supposed to look like, so either fall in line or get of town. It's simple."
Whenever the Rangers add a player who could disrupt the chemistry they've worked so hard to create, the club spends considerable time vetting the player. The Rangers speak to former managers, teammates, trainers and scouts. Not everyone survives the process, but we usually don't hear about those players.
"You want an accountability and contrition," Daniels said. "We've tried to stay away from guys who don't own their past.
"If you own it, acknowledge it and you're making changes, that's a different deal than if you're indignant and saying, 'I didn't do anything.'"
Before the Rangers added Gomez, they spoke to players in their own clubhouse such as Jonathan Lucroy and Jeffress, who played with Gomez when he was an All-Star in Milwaukee.
And they spoke with Carlos Beltran, who has mentored Gomez throughout his career.
"He's very loved by his teammates," said Young, "but he's a very emotional player, and in baseball the emotional guys tend to grind on other teams. Everything we got back, we had just fantastic reports."
When Gomez attempted to bunt for a hit in his second at-bat Thursday, it was Beltran who gently chastised him.
"Carlos Beltran is a guy who has taken care of me in my career," Gomez said. "He been straight with me. We always keep in touch. I love Carlos. He my second dad."
The Rangers believe Gomez will fit because they won't rein in his personality. Banister has never wanted a club full of robots.
"Are there things in his game that can be frustrating?" Banister asked. "Yes, he's not unlike any other player. This is not a perfect game. "
But it was a perfect start for Gomez.