Rangers young starter Martin Perez took the mound at home in Monday's attempt at becoming the American League's second wild card team. Perez was beated by Tampa Bay's David Price, who went the distance.

The rookie had a fantastic year and took the loss to finish at 10-6 with a 3.62 ERA. Perez gave up three runs on four hits and two walks over 5 1/3 innings on the outing. He struck out five and threw 74 pitches on his final start of the season.

The 22-year-old should get plenty of Rookie of the Year consideration for his season that saw him finish with a 1.34 WHIP and 84 strikeouts over 124 1/3 innings. The Rangers are eliminated and Perez is certain to have a rotation spot waiting for him next year.